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Hurricane Elsa could hit US on July 6: Category 1 storm racing toward Florida

'Hurricane Elsa is set to hit my area Tuesday and you know what? I wish she would just let go' said one tweet referencing Disney's 'Frozen'

Hurricane Elsa can reportedly soon hit the US as it moved towards Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Saturday, July 3, before racing towards Cuba and Florida. As per the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Elsa was tracked down around 395 miles east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic as it raced at 29 mph towards the west-northwest.

The intensity of the storm has been recorded at 80 mph, however, and is expected to shift into a tropical storm when it reaches Cuba, the National Hurricane Center in Miami added. It has also been reported that the hurricane will progress towards Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, July 6. The effects of it can also be felt in the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast.

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According to reports, authorities in Haiti sent alerts to people about the hurricane through social media. They also asked them to shift somewhere else if their houses were near water or mountain flanks. The Civil Protection Agency said in a statement: “The whole country is threatened by this hurricane. Make every effort to escape before it’s too late.”

Meanwhile, the authorities in Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, opened over 2,400 shelters as it was forecasted that heavy rains will affect the region beginning Saturday, July 3, before dawn. Reports also said that Hurricane Elsa will briefly touch the southernmost point of Hispaniola by early Saturday afternoon before striking towards the communities in southern Haiti. However, it has already adversely affected roofs, crops, and electricity of the eastern Caribbean on Friday, July 2. The destruction was also reported in Barbados, St Lucia and in St Vincent and the Grenadines, which are already facing issues after the massive volcanic eruptions that started in April.

The National Hurricane Center, focusing on the Atlantic basin, is also continuously updating on Twitter about the natural tropical cyclone. The latest tweet from them read, “Hurricane #Elsa Advisory 12A: Elsa Moving Rapidly Toward the South Coast of Hispaniola. Conditions Expected to Deteriorate There Over the Next Several Hours. http://go.usa.gov/W3H.” Another tweet added: “Here are the 5 am AST Saturday, July 3 Key Messages for Hurricane #Elsa. Heavy rains could cause flash flooding across portions of the Greater Antilles during the next few days.”

Mayor of Miami-Dade County Daniella Levine Cava tweeted, “I just signed a local state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Elsa — this will ensure we mobilize all necessary resources so the County is ready for any possible impacts. Take action to prepare at home. Learn more: http://miamidade.gov/hurricane.” 

Several people also tweeted about Elsa as a user wrote, “#HurricaneElsaFrom my front balcony a little while ago. #HurricaneElsa.” The second one joked, “Are Floridians going to host Frozen themed hurricane parties? Because I’d like to put a twist on this hurricane Elsa party & instead have a party where we JUST serve frozen margs.” “I’ve been missing hurricanes for the past 3 years and now Elsa wanna come straight to Florida,” the third said and the fourth one added: “Hurricane Elsa is set to hit my area Tuesday and you know what? I wish she would just let it go.”