Tropical storm Bret left strong winds and rains on the eastern Caribbean islands early Friday morning, which were preparing for possible landslides and flooding.
The center of the storm was west of St. Vincent and west-southwest of St. Lucia and was moving west at 18 miles per hour and had maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.
In Saint Vincent, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Martinique and other Caribbean islands, airports, businesses, schools and offices suspended their activity at noon on Thursday.
Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, had urged people to go to a government shelter if they thought their homes would not withstand strong winds and rain.
“These storms can change quite quickly,” he warned.
Forecasters had indicated that the meteor could pass directly over Saint Lucia, which is north of Saint Vincent, but its track changed to the south overnight.
“Protect their lives, their property and their livelihoods,” Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip Pierre said.
Residents on the island filled the fuel tanks of their vehicles and stocked up on water and canned food.
“You always have to be ready,” Ben Marcellin, who runs a guest house, said in a phone interview. “You never know. It can get serious.”
The authorities of Saint Lucia opened a shelter at the request of some residents who feared that their houses could not withstand the passage of Bret.
A tropical storm warning was issued for Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Rainfall of between 8 and 15 centimeters was forecast for the French island of Guadeloupe and the area as far south as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including Barbados, the US National Hurricane Center reported. Dangerous waves were also forecast.
Bret is expected to lose strength after entering the eastern Caribbean Sea and could dissipate on Sunday.
The Caribbean was also watching for Tropical Storm Cindy, which is coming after Bret, although forecasts indicate that it will take a path towards the northeast of the Caribbean, over open seas. That meteor had maximum sustained winds hovering around 40 mph Thursday night and is expected to gain some strength.
Never before have two storms formed in the tropical Atlantic Ocean in June, said Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting 12 to 17 named storms for this year’s hurricane season. Of those, between five and nine could reach hurricane strength, including three Category 3 or higher hurricanes, he said.
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