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Tropical Storm Rafael reinforces as it barrels towards Cayman Islands, Cuba

Hurricane Rafael was rapidly getting steam on Tuesday afternoon as it downed toward the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, and will likely become a. cyclone in the next few hours, according to the U.S.based. National Typhoon Center.

Rafael was blowing optimal sustained winds of 70 miles per hour (113. kph) after skirting past western Jamaica around mid-day, the NHC. said in a weather report.

Residents in Jamaica hunched down, with 4 emergency situation. shelters triggered, according to authorities. No deaths or. injuries were reported as bursts of heavy rain disposed on the. island.

As Rafael chugged toward the Cayman Islands, the British. territory was setting up its own preparations and bracing for. damages to infrastructure, power lines and water supply, the. government stated in a declaration.

Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly informed Radio Cayman that. schools would remain closed on Wednesday.

Storm Rafael will likely brush near western Cuba or be even. more powerful when it makes landfall on Wednesday, the NHC stated, and. pass over the Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday night.

We can not eliminate the possibility that Rafael could. heighten into a major cyclone before reaching Cuba,. AccuWeather meteorologist Jon Porter said in a statement. That. would be Category 3 with optimal sustained winds of 111 to 129. miles per hour, he explained.

In Cuba, officials quickly worked to gather garbage and. clear drains, particularly in capital Havana on the western end. of the island, according to state media outlet Granma.

Cuba's energy grid collapsed last month, with healing. made complex by the passage of Cyclone Oscar. Another storm. would further damage efforts to bring the lights back on.

After passing Cuba, tropical storm conditions might pertain to. the Florida Keys, the NHC's projection showed.

It is too soon to identify what, if any, effects Rafael. might bring to portions of the northern Gulf Coast, the NHC. said.

On the Gulf, oil and gas manufacturers began cutting output and. pulling workers off platforms. Producers could lose in between 3.1. million and 4.9 million barrels of oil and 4.56 billion to 6.39. billion cubic feet of natural gas due to the late season. hurricane, scientists predicted.

(source: Reuters)