Tropical Storm Imelda kills at least two in Cuba as Bahamas brace for flooding

# Tropical Storm Imelda kills at least two in Cuba as Bahamas brace for flooding

Tropical Storm Imelda has killed at least two people in Cuba and forced the Bahamas into emergency preparations as the storm pushed heavy rain and flood risk across the northern Caribbean. The AP report says the Bahamas closed most schools, some islands were evacuated and officials were watching the storm as it tracked toward and through the region.

The event date is 2025-09-29. In the source, Imelda was located north of Great Abaco Island while continuing its path across the northwest Bahamas and eastern Cuba. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane before moving out to open water.

The Cuban deaths are the most immediate human toll reported in the excerpt. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said two people died in Santiago de Cuba province, while state media separately reported the death of 60-year-old Luis Mario Pérez Coiterio after landslides in the area. The AP does not settle the exact breakdown, but it confirms that at least two deaths occurred in Cuba.

The Bahamas faced a different kind of threat: widespread disruption. Schools were closed, government offices on affected islands shut down and mandatory evacuations were issued for some islands over the weekend. Airports were expected to reopen only after weather conditions improved. That combination shows how storms affect daily life well before landfall or peak intensity.

In Cuba, the storm cut off 17 communities in Santiago de Cuba, with more than 24,000 people living in those areas. In Guantánamo, more than 18,000 people were evacuated, according to the report. Those numbers help show that the storm was not just a passing weather event; it was a major civil-protection problem with large population impacts.

The report also places Imelda alongside Hurricane Humberto, which was strengthening over the open Atlantic. That pairing shaped forecasters’ expectations for how the storms would interact, although the source is careful not to overstate the threat to the United States. The immediate story here is the northern Caribbean, especially Cuba and the Bahamas.

The AP says power outages were reported in some areas and that authorities pre-positioned search and rescue crews. That indicates the response was already moving from warnings to operations. In storm coverage, those preparatory steps matter almost as much as the rainfall itself because they determine how quickly help can reach flooded areas.

Imelda’s impact is measured not only by winds but also by water. The report says it was expected to drop 4 to 8 inches of rain across the northwest Bahamas and 2 to 4 inches in eastern Cuba. Those totals can be enough to trigger flash flooding, landslides and secondary damage, especially in places that have already seen saturated ground.

The storm is now part of a season in which coastal communities are being pushed to prepare for multiple systems at once. For the Bahamas and Cuba, the immediate challenge is recovery and evacuation management, not just forecasting.