SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Isaac churned toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Thursday, threatening to strengthen into a hurricane that could take a shot at Florida just as the Republicans gather for their national convention.
The storm dumped heavy rain across eastern and southern Puerto Rico and whipped up waves as high as 10 feet (3 meters) in the Caribbean as it moved through the region.
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U.S. forecasters said Isaac could become a Category 1 hurricane Friday as it approaches the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was expected to weaken a little while crossing over Haiti and the eastern two-thirds of Cuba.
The storm was projected to head toward Florida as a hurricane by Monday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said some forecast models predict it could go farther west into the Gulf of Mexico, so “significant uncertainty remains about the threat Isaac poses to Florida.”
Isaac was centered 180 miles (285) kilometers south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, late Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). It was moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph), according to the hurricane center.
Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe urged people to avoid crossing rivers and to tape their windows, and said they should ask relatives overseas to wire money so they can stock up on food and water.
Above all, he said, it was important to stay calm. “Panic creates more problems,” he said.
Lamothe and other officials in Haiti, which is prone to flooding, said that the government has set aside about $50,000 in emergency funds and that it had buses and 32 boats on standby for evacuations.
While Haiti’s government spent the day preparing for Isaac, others did not because they didn’t have the means. The notion of preparation in a country where the bulk of the population gets by on about $2 a day was met with a shrug.
“We don’t have houses that can bear a hurricane,” said Jeanette Lauredan, who lives in a tent camp in the crowded Delmas district of Port-au-Prince, stretching out her arms in concern.
About 400,000 people remain in settlement camps that are mere clusters of shacks and tarps as a result of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake.
So far, Isaac itself had caused no reported injuries or deaths, but police in Puerto Rico said a 75-year-old woman died near the capital of San Juan on Wednesday when she fell off a balcony while filling a drum with water in preparation for the storm.
Schools and government offices remained closed Thursday on the U.S. territory, where Gov. Luis Fortuno said 7,800 people were without power and more than 3,000 had no water.
With rain falling on and off throughout the day, the governor warned Puerto Ricans to stay away from beaches and swollen rivers.
“It’s not the day to participate in recreational activities in these areas,” Fortuno said.
Jose Alberto Melendez, 51, disregarded the advice and went to a beach near Old San Juan.
“It’s my birthday,” he said. “I had already planned to come to the beach.”
The storm dumped heavy rain across eastern and southern Puerto Rico and whipped up waves as high as 10 feet (3 meters) in the Caribbean as it moved through the region.
Here is a look at some of the week’s best photographs from around the globe.
More World News
Kevin Sieff Afghan officials say Pakistan and Iran are recruiting Afghans to join the country’s army and police to target Western service members.
Michael Birnbaum Goal of eliminating nuclear power while cutting emissions poses a tricky challenge, experts say.
From Cuba to India, people around the world cope with regular and prolonged power outages.U.S. forecasters said Isaac could become a Category 1 hurricane Friday as it approaches the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was expected to weaken a little while crossing over Haiti and the eastern two-thirds of Cuba.
The storm was projected to head toward Florida as a hurricane by Monday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said some forecast models predict it could go farther west into the Gulf of Mexico, so “significant uncertainty remains about the threat Isaac poses to Florida.”
Isaac was centered 180 miles (285) kilometers south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, late Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). It was moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph), according to the hurricane center.
Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe urged people to avoid crossing rivers and to tape their windows, and said they should ask relatives overseas to wire money so they can stock up on food and water.
Above all, he said, it was important to stay calm. “Panic creates more problems,” he said.
Lamothe and other officials in Haiti, which is prone to flooding, said that the government has set aside about $50,000 in emergency funds and that it had buses and 32 boats on standby for evacuations.
While Haiti’s government spent the day preparing for Isaac, others did not because they didn’t have the means. The notion of preparation in a country where the bulk of the population gets by on about $2 a day was met with a shrug.
“We don’t have houses that can bear a hurricane,” said Jeanette Lauredan, who lives in a tent camp in the crowded Delmas district of Port-au-Prince, stretching out her arms in concern.
About 400,000 people remain in settlement camps that are mere clusters of shacks and tarps as a result of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake.
So far, Isaac itself had caused no reported injuries or deaths, but police in Puerto Rico said a 75-year-old woman died near the capital of San Juan on Wednesday when she fell off a balcony while filling a drum with water in preparation for the storm.
Schools and government offices remained closed Thursday on the U.S. territory, where Gov. Luis Fortuno said 7,800 people were without power and more than 3,000 had no water.
With rain falling on and off throughout the day, the governor warned Puerto Ricans to stay away from beaches and swollen rivers.
“It’s not the day to participate in recreational activities in these areas,” Fortuno said.
Jose Alberto Melendez, 51, disregarded the advice and went to a beach near Old San Juan.
“It’s my birthday,” he said. “I had already planned to come to the beach.”