At 02:00 local time Sunday, Grace was about 200 miles east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with maximum winds of 40 mph and a travel speed of 35 mph.
A tropical storm warning is activated for the entire northern coast of the country, which is awaiting the onslaught of the meteorological phenomenon tomorrow night.
The Directorate of Civil Protection confirmed that Grace’s arrival may complicate rescue efforts in the southern provinces, which were shaken the previous day by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, with an initial tally of 304 dead and at least 1,800 injured.
The entity warned that these numbers may increase, as rescue work continues, especially in the departments of Tire and Grand Anse and Nippes, which were hardest hit by the earthquake.
The partial balance of damages estimates that more than 1,500 homes have been damaged, of which about 800 have completely collapsed, and erosion has been recorded in 11 churches, five schools and three hospitals.
Likewise, traffic on National Route 7 has been halted, as the landslide caused by the earthquake cut off vehicular traffic on the road connecting the cities of Jeremy and Les Cayes.
The earthquake occurred at 08:30 local time, 12 kilometers from Saint-Louis-de-Sud, and 13 kilometers from Petetro-en-Nipes, both located in the southwest of Port-au-Prince.
Seismic services have recorded at least 15 aftershocks, the strongest of which was 5.8 on the Richter scale, with an epicenter about 12 kilometers northwest of Chardonnayer.
jcm / ane / cvl
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