By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
Tropical Storm Don strengthened slightly overnight Tuesday on its westward trek toward the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, the Miami Herald reported.
Based on Don’s current track, a tropical storm warning has been issued for Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A watch is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia and Bonaire.
The compact storm, located 210 miles southeast of Barbados at 8 a.m. Tuesday, had sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving west at about 18 miles an hour, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Tropical storm force winds extended just 35 miles from its center.
Don is expected to produce total rain accumulations of three to six inches, with isolated higher amounts across Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the southern Windward Islands through
Wednesday. “These rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous areas,” a National Hurricane Center advisory warned.
This fourth named storm of the 2017 hurricane season is expected to cross the Windward Islands Tuesday tonight, bringing heavy rain and the possibility of dangerous mudslides to the southern islands of Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
Don Could Quickly Strengthen or Weaken in Coming Days
As it enters the southeastern Caribbean, forecasters say Don will encounter high upper winds that are expected to shred it by the end of the week. Because the storm is so small, forecasters also say the storm could quickly change in intensity and become stronger, or just as easily weaken.
Red Cross Has Advice on Dealing with Severe Storms
The American Red Cross website lists several steps to protect against hurricanes and severe tropical storms:
- Talk with your family about what to do if a hurricane strikes. Discussing hurricanes ahead of time helps reduce fear, particularly for younger children.
- Ensure that every member of your family carries a Safe and Well wallet card.
- Make sure you have access to NOAA radio broadcasts:
- Find an online NOAA radio station
- Search for a NOAA radio app in the Apple Store >> or Google Play>>
- Purchase a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA radio in the Red Cross Store
- Keep insurance policies, documents, and other valuables in a safe-deposit box for quick, easy access if a hurricane causes flooding.
- Take pictures on a phone and keep copies of important documents and files on a flash drive that you can carry with you on your house or car keys.
About the Author
David E. Hubler brings a variety of government, journalism and teaching experience to his position as a Quality Assurance Editor at APUS. David’s professional background includes serving as a senior editor at CIA and the Voice of America. He has also been a managing editor for several business-to-business and business-to-government publishing companies. David has taught high school English in Connecticut and at Northern Virginia Community College. He has a master’s degree for Teachers of English from the University of New Hampshire and a B.A. in English from New York University. David’s 2015 book, “The Nats and the Grays, How Baseball in the Nation’s Capital Survived WWII and Changed the Game Forever,” was recently published in paperback by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Comments are closed.