- Wind and rain battered Cuba, the Florida Keys and Miami on Friday.
- Streets have been flooded in Havana.
- Sixteen folks have been rescued from a small boat in tough seas.
A cruise ship crew pulled 16 folks from a small boat off Cuba Friday in tough waters churned up by a storm system shifting throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
“Carnival crew members onboard Mardi Gras noticed a small vessel in misery and stopped to assist earlier than 8 a.m. Friday morning as the ship headed towards Florida,” a news launch from the cruise line mentioned.
The cruise ship was on its ultimate day of crusing and deliberate to return to Port Canaveral, Florida, Saturday morning.
(FORECAST: Heavy Rain, Flooding in Store for Florida)
The storm that was nonetheless Potential Tropical Cyclone One as of seven p.m. EST Friday was additionally headed towards Florida, packing wind and rain that introduced flooding to Havana and started impacting the Florida Keys Friday afternoon.
Winds gusts as much as 55 mph have been recorded in the Keys together with heavy rainfall, and dozens of flights have been canceled or delayed at Miami International Airport. Tropical storm warnings have been in impact for the whole southern half of Florida.
The climate comes on the third official day of hurricane season.
“It certainly is kind of an uncanny reminder that here we are at the beginning of the hurricane season and already we are having a tropical discussion,” Dan Summers, director of emergency services and emergency management in Collier County, told weather.com in a phone call Friday morning.
Collier County is in Southwest Florida and includes the cities of Naples and Marco Island.
Summers said county maintenance crews were checking and prepping drainage systems that include a network of canals and flood control structures. Residents are being asked to make sure their properties are clear of any debris that could clog drainage areas.
“We’ve asked our residents to be patient, make sure that they took a look around their areas,” he said.
(MORE: What is a Potential Tropical Cyclone?)
The system bringing all this rain ingested some remnant spin and moisture from what was once Hurricane Agatha, which plowed into Mexico’s Pacific coast last Monday.
Areas including Collier County could get between 4 to 8 inches of rain, whether the storm is named or not. That could cause rainfall flooding, while what’s expected to be a modest storm surge of 1 to 3 feet could cause some coastal flooding.
“A lot of our focus has certainly been just on preparing for the heavy rainfall,” Summers said.
Similar preparations were happening just to the north in Lee County, where newcomers especially are being reminded to familiarize themselves with the county’s websites and alert systems so they can stay informed throughout hurricane season.
Lee was the 9th fastest growing county in the country in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and Florida as a whole is bursting with new residents who might not be familiar with the Sunshine State’s stormy weather.
“As we do throughout hurricane season, we encourage residents to take time now to prepare themselves and their families,” Lee County spokesperson Betsy Clayton said in an email Thursday afternoon.
Summers echoed that advice.
“With the likelihood of a busy season, this is a good wake up call.”
Residents wade by way of a road flooded by heavy rains in Havana, Cuba, Friday, June 3, 2022. A tropical system has drenched Cuba with virtually non-cease rain for the final 24 hours as it strikes throughout the southeastern Gulf of Mexico towards Florida. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
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