Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys late Sunday, bringing with it strong winds, heavy rains and a dangerous storm surge. Eta made landfall at around 11 p.m. EST in Lower Matecumbe, Fla., as a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in a statement. The forecasters said Eta should pull away from the Florida Keys and South Florida later on Monday, heading towards southeastern Gulf of Mexico overnight through Wednesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency Saturday for the counties of Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach ahead of Eta’s arrival. Schools districts throughout South Florida have called off classes for Monday, including in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. In addition, Tri-Rail suspended service Sunday, as well as county bus service throughout the region.
Eta made landfall last Tuesday in Central America as a Category 4 storm, leaving destruction and dozens dead after it moved through Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, with officials saying some 300,000 have been displaced. In Guatemala, at least 50 people lost their lives to the storm and another 100 people lost their homes. In Honduras, people sought shelter on their roofs from rising floodwaters.
