Tropical Storm Bret strikes Caribbean with heavy rain and wind

[June 23, 2023]  (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Bret continued its path through eastern Caribbean islands early Friday, striking the region with winds and heavy rain. 

Early morning the storm reached Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with storm-force winds which extended outward up to 185 kilometers (115 miles) from the center, said the meteorological services of the island in a press release.

Bret had sent more than 120 people to shelters on Thursday, according to Myccle Burke, the chairman of the Agency for Public Information, who identified the environment as "extremely volatile," adding that many people near the coastline had evacuated.

The St. Lucia government is also under hurricane watch and the government has asked residents to remain indoors until the all clear is given.

A number of public facilities were closed as Bret approached, with St. Lucia and Martinique shutting down schools and nurseries ahead of the arrival of one of the season's first tropical storms, said Saint Lucian Prime Minister Philip Pierre.

On Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) had placed both eastern Caribbean islands under a tropical storm warning, and Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines under its watch area.

(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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