A tropical disturbance wreaked havoc across the western Caribbean on Friday, leaving thousands without power in Jamaica, claiming two lives in Haiti, and triggering landslides and floods before dissipating.
In Jamaica, the storm’s heavy rains toppled trees, severed power lines, and induced landslides, cutting off electricity to approximately 14,000 customers, according to the Jamaica Public Service Company. Rescue teams were deployed to the island’s southeastern region to evacuate at least 24 people trapped by floodwaters, the Jamaican Defense Force reported.
Haiti also bore the brunt of the disturbance’s torrential rains. The country’s Civil Protection Agency informed The Associated Press late Friday that two individuals had tragically perished after being swept away by floods in the western Grand’Anse region.
Early forecasts had indicated a possibility of the disturbance intensifying into a tropical cyclone. However, by Friday evening, meteorologists downgraded that likelihood, and the system dissipated a few hours later near the eastern tip of Cuba.
Despite the disturbance’s dissipation, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami cautioned that heavy rains still posed a significant risk of flash floods and mudslides over the weekend in southeastern Cuba and the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.