ST GEORGE'S, GRENADA: PEOPLE IN GRENADA AND ST VINCENT are breathing a sign of relief Monday morning following the passage of Tropical Storm Earl yesterday, which caused minimal damage and no injuries or loss of lives. Tropical Storm Earl, a weak 45 miles an hour storm, unleashed heavy rains and winds that felled trees and ripped off a handful of roofs in the two countries. Disaster Preparedness officials in Grenada say winds tore off about a dozen roofs throughout the country and flash flooding was reported on the west coast. Several hundred people fled their homes in low-lying areas of Grenada and moved to shelters set up in schools, said Sylvan McIntyre, chief of the island's emergency agency. A nursing home was evacuated, and more than 30 residents were moved to a shelter. No injuries were reported. Shopkeepers nailed boards over their windows before the powerful wind and rains reached Grenada's capital of St. George's. In nearby St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said winds destroyed the roofs off at least two homes and damaged banana crops, while some residents fled for shelters. Airports were temporarily closed in St. Vincent and Grenada. The storm's winds knocked down trees and power lines in Tobago on Saturday night, for a time cutting up to 90 percent of the island's electricity, Forecasters say the tropical storm, the fifth of the Atlantic season, could strengthen to a hurricane in the coming days over the open Caribbean Sea. Earl's path could take it anywhere between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Belize to the east-central Gulf of Mexico in four to five days. SOURCE: CARIBUPDATE.COM