KEY WEST, FLA. (WSVN) - Monroe County has declared a state of local emergency due to potential effects from Tropical Storm Elsa.
County officials made the announcement Saturday afternoon hours after the system, which had strengthened into the season’s first hurricane in the Caribbean, weakened into a tropical storm as it swirled past Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
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The system could bring heightened heavy rainfall, flash flooding, storm surge, and strong winds to the Florida Keys and other parts of the state on Monday and Tuesday.
Monroe County will likely issue a voluntary evacuation of mobile homes and live-aboard vessels to safe structures for Monday and Tuesday.
Officials urge visitors and those in RVs and travel trailers in the Keys to consider their travel plans during those days.
“The last thing we want is a lot of people leaving the Florida Keys on Monday at 11 a.m.,” said Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi. “We hope visitors will consider extending their stay through Wednesday, when we are expecting normal summertime conditions to resume, or to leave earlier on Monday to avoid traffic issues in the Upper Keys we normally see after busy holiday weekends.”
Mandatory evacuations are not expected for this storm.
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