(Houston) Hanna , first hurricane of the year 924 on the Atlantic coast, was downgraded Sunday to a tropical storm sweeping through Texas, accompanied by heavy rains and squalls as flash floods still threaten this southern state of the United States, which suffers already the COVID epidemic - 17.
Julia BENARROUS
France Media Agency
Category 1 storm was downgraded to a tropical storm by the US National Hurricane Center around 1 local time, but winds continued to blow at some 115 km / hour.
Hanna won Padre Island on Saturday at 16 local times (11 hrs, Montreal time) and swept the coast as a Category 1 storm with winds up to 145 kilometers per hour, the National Hurricane Center said.
PHOTO ANNIE RICE, CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES VIA AP
A boat sinking in the Packery Canal on Padre Island
" Hanna is forecast to produce heavy rain in parts of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. These rains will cause flash floods which are life-threatening, "and could cause rivers to rise from their beds, meteorologists warned.
No casualties or major damage were immediately reported.
Hanna could dump 28 inches of rain by Monday over southern Texas and the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, as well as northern Tamaulipas.
The coasts will continue to be battered by the storm, with waves of up to 1.8 meters, the meteorologists added.
Hanna was about a hundred miles from Corpus Christi, Texas when he made it inland. The city of 325 00 0 inhabitants, which is one of the main foci of infection in Texas coronavirus outbreak had closed libraries and museums as residents braced for the storm, local media reported.
The damage appeared to be limited at first, with only a few floods and localized power cuts.
PHOTO ANNIE RICE, ANNIE RICE / CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES VIA AP
The waters have invaded Peoples Street.
According to images from the Corpus Christi Weather Service, the water reached the city's oceanfront art museum.
PHOTO ANNIE RICE, CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES VIA AP
Others, broadcast by CBS, showed roads and a city campsite littered with debris and downed trees, as well as several buildings apparently demolished.
Local authorities were also preparing for the possible appearance of tornadoes overnight in some coastal areas, according to local media.
"Protect your families" 89184577
Two other low pressure systems were active on Saturday, Hurricane Douglas heading towards the Hawaiian archipelago in the Pacific, and the tropical storm Gonzalo near the Windward Islands in the Atlantic.
"My administration is closely monitoring hurricanes Douglas near Hawaii and Hanna , which reached Texas, "President Donald Trump tweeted.
"We continue to coordinate well with these two states - listen to the emergency services [...] to protect your families and property! ", he added.
The United States is the most affected country in the world by the coronavirus with nearly 4.2 million reported cases and authorities will have to find a way to prevent contagion between people forced to leave their homes in the has expected hurricanes this season.
Douglas, a weather classified hurricane Category 4, became a Category 1 storm with winds reaching 115 km / h. A hurricane advisory has been issued on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
The Venezuelan government, for its part, has warned of heavy rains and high winds as it approaches Gonzalo in the Caribbean. High waves hit the eastern coast of the country and power was cut in some areas on Saturday, Venezuelan media reported.