Isaac heads to Florida after Cuba

FLORIDA / TOKYO – The Associated Press

A man stands on a post with a stop sign as waves pass in Baracoa, Cuba.

Tropical Storm Isaac moved off Cuba’s northern coast and expected to approach the Florida Keys later in the day.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac was centered about 430 kilometers east-southeast of Key West. Isaac had maximum sustained winds of 95 kph and was moving northwest at 28 kph. Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and urged vacationers to leave the Florida Keys, where a hurricane warning has been issued. The storm’s trek toward the Keys was being anxiously watched as Florida prepared to welcome thousands of visitors for the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

In Key West, residents fastened plywood to windows and girded for the storm as forecasters predicted worsening conditions throughout the day as the storm neared. Before dawn yesterday, the storm was centered off the north coast of Cuba about 60 kms northeast of Canagua, Cuba.

On Aug. 25, Isaac downed trees and power lines in Cuba and killed at least four people in Haiti.