Claudette
became a tropical storm again Monday morning after gaining strength as it approached the North Carolina coast
, causing 13 deaths as it passed through the southeastern United States, including nine girls.
Eight of the minors, between 4 and 17 years old, died on Saturday when
the van in which they were traveling was involved in a chain crash
as a result of heavy rains.
The van, which caught fire, belonged to a home for abused or abandoned girls in Tallapoosa County.
A 29-year-old father and his nine-month-old daughter, who were in another vehicle, also lost their lives.
On the other hand, Claudette also caused the death of a 24-year-old man and a 3-year-old boy, when a tree fell on them.
A 23-year-old woman also died Saturday when her vehicle went off the road and was swept away by a swollen stream.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed Monday morning that Claudette had strengthened again, becoming a tropical storm again.
[How and when to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm]
It has
sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 kilometers per hour)
and is located 65 miles (about 100 kilometers) east-southeast of the city of Raleigh, in North Carolina.
It is heading east-northeast at 25 miles per hour (about 41 kilometers per hour).
Throughout Monday it will move towards the Atlantic Ocean and by Tuesday it should be near the south of Nova Scotia, in Canada.
A tropical storm watch is in effect from Cape Fear to the town of Duck on the North Carolina coast.
"
Heavy rains
are expected
on the North Carolina coast," as well as "flash floods, urban and small streams," according to the NHC report. Also "tropical storm [weather] conditions are forecast in some parts of the North Carolina coast. ”In fact, between 1 and two inches (between 3 and 5 centimeters) of rain can accumulate.
[The climate emergency drives the massive migration of Central Americans to the United States]
"
An isolated tornado may hit
parts of the Outer Banks early this morning [Monday]," Brad Reinhart, an NHC specialist, told The Associated Press.
"By [Monday] afternoon, we expect the system to be well away from the coast," he added.
Claudette made landfall on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the early hours of Saturday, shortly after reaching tropical storm status, with winds of 45 miles per hour (about 75 kilometers per hour).
Danny Gonzales enters his flooded home from Tropical Storm Claudette in Slidell, Louisiana, on Saturday, June 19, 2021.AP Photo / Gerald Herbert
Throughout Sunday it was downgraded to a tropical depression, after leaving severe flooding as it passed through Alabama.
With information from AP
.
