Authorities in the Bahamas shut most schools as Tropical Storm Imelda battered the northern Caribbean with heavy rainfall, leading to evacuations, power outages and fatalities in neighbouring Cuba.
The storm, hovering about 140 miles (220 kilometres) north of Great Abaco Island, carried maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) while moving north at 8 mph (13 kph). According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Imelda was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Tuesday morning as it veered into the open Atlantic.
The Bahamas, still scarred by the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, faced renewed anxiety as Imelda swept across its northern islands. A tropical storm warning had been issued for Great Abaco, Grand Bahama and the surrounding keys, but was lifted early Tuesday. Even so, heavy rains continued, accompanied by reports of power outages and closures of government offices. Officials also ordered mandatory evacuations on vulnerable islands over the weekend, hoping to reduce the risk to lives.
Forecasts suggested that Imelda could unload between four and eight inches (10–20 centimetres) of rain over the northwestern Bahamas before moving on. The threat was a grim reminder of the country’s fragile infrastructure, which has yet to fully recover from Dorian’s catastrophic strike as a Category 5 hurricane.
Cuba bore the brunt of the storm’s impact, with Prime Minister Manuel Marrero confirming two deaths in Santiago de Cuba province late on Monday. “Two people died in Santiago de Cuba province,” Marrero said on X, though he provided no further details.
State media later identified one victim as 60-year-old Luis Mario Pérez Coiterio, who perished in a landslide triggered by the heavy rainfall. In the same province, the official newspaper Granma reported that landslides and flooding had cut off 17 communities, home to more than 24,000 residents. In neighbouring Guantánamo, over 18,000 people were evacuated as precautionary measures.
Rainfall totals across eastern Cuba were expected to reach between two and four inches (5–10 centimetres), worsening the risk of further landslides and flooding.
While Imelda stirred concern in the Caribbean, nearby Hurricane Humberto was swirling in the Atlantic. Downgraded early Tuesday to a Category 3 storm, Humberto carried sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) and was located about 265 miles (430 kilometres) southwest of Bermuda. Its presence was expected to shape Imelda’s course dramatically.
“This is really what’s going to be saving the United States from really seeing catastrophic rainfall,” explained Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert for AccuWeather. He described how the two systems were close enough to trigger the Fujiwhara effect, a rare phenomenon in the Atlantic basin whereby two storms rotate counter-clockwise around one another. This interaction, DaSilva said, would likely steer Imelda to the east-northeast, away from the southeastern U.S. coast. “This is going to be no threat to the United States,” he added.
Despite the expected offshore turn, moisture from Imelda was forecast to push into the Carolinas, bringing heavy rain through Tuesday morning. DaSilva said coastal areas from Charleston, South Carolina, to Wilmington, North Carolina, would bear the heaviest rainfall, while inland cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh might see only 1–2 inches (3–5 centimetres). Wind gusts along the coast could reach 40 mph, while dangerous surf and strong rip currents were anticipated throughout the week.
Officials across the region took precautionary steps. South Carolina’s Governor Henry McMaster confirmed that search and rescue teams had been prepositioned, while North Carolina’s Governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency before Imelda even formed. In Georgia, residents on Tybee Island collected free sandbags distributed by local authorities.
Even Florida, not in Imelda’s direct path, felt its effects. At the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, staff recovered turtle hatchlings swept ashore by turbulent surf. “We actually had two washbacks come in over the weekend,” said Justin Perrault, the centre’s vice president of research. “We may get more as the day goes along.”
Further south in Fort Lauderdale, beachgoers reflected on their good fortune. “It’s great that we’re not having one as of right now,” said local resident Carl Alexandre, “and now we get to run in the Florida sun.”
The British overseas territory of Bermuda faced a more direct risk. Authorities anticipated that both Humberto and Imelda would pass dangerously close, with Imelda potentially skimming within 15 miles (24 kilometres) later in the week. “It’s going to be a double whammy for Bermuda, Humberto first and Imelda following close behind,” DaSilva warned.
Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s national security minister, urged households to prepare for the storms. “Hurricane Humberto is a dangerous storm, and with another system developing to our south, every household in Bermuda should take the necessary steps to be prepared,” he said, noting that the island had already experienced “some near misses this season regarding severe storms.”
Imelda is expected to become the fourth hurricane of the Atlantic season, while Humberto continues to churn in open waters. For residents of the Bahamas and Cuba, however, the storm has already delivered devastation, reminding the region of its acute vulnerability to powerful tropical systems.
Flights to and from the Bahamas were suspended during the storm, with airports likely to resume operations once conditions improve. Yet with forecasts warning of more storm activity on the horizon, the Caribbean faces further anxious weeks in a hurricane season showing no sign of easing.
With input from agencies
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