Puerto Rico Braces for Tropical Storm After 2 Die on Martinique

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico —  Residents on the south coast of Puerto Rico braced Sunday for the impact of Tropical Storm Cindy, which killed two people on the Caribbean island of Martinique.

The storm, which carried heavy rains and the threat of flash floods and mudslides, could become a hurricane by today, Bob Sheets of the National Hurricane Center in Coral Gables, Fla., said.

Officials on Martinique said two people died and 10 were injured as Cindy swept through. French television showed cars swept away to sea and buried in mud.

Reports said 3,000 people were left homeless in northern Martinique as the storm cut bridges and buried roads under mud.

A tropical storm warning--alerting residents to imminent storm conditions--was issued for the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

At the National Hurricane Center, forecasters tracking the storm said it carried sustained winds of 40 m.p.h., but with the center over the open waters of the Caribbean, conditions remained favorable for strengthening.

In the Pacific, a hurricane watch was posted for Hawaii as Hurricane Fernanda intensified and changed course Sunday, putting it on a path that would take it 100 to 200 miles north of the islands.

“All coastal areas on the east side of the island are on alert for possible evacuation,” said Harry Kim, civil defense administrator for the island of Hawaii.