State of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Erika nears

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Tropical Storm Erika's intensity remains uncertain Tropical Storm Erika floods the Caribbean but making U.S. landfall with any strength remains in question.

Tropical Storm Erika lashed Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Friday with heavy rains and wind after killing at least four people and causing devastating floods and landslides in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, where several people remained missing.

The rain from Erika could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency ahead of the approaching storm, which could impact the state by Sunday or Monday.

President Obama was briefed on disaster preparations, the White House said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already deployed assistance teams to Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas and "they continue to support response activities to ensure that there are no unmet needs on those islands," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. The agency has also positioned relief supplies in Georgia.

Erika will likely remain at tropical storm strength as it nears Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center said Erika is expected to weaken and could even dissipate in the next 12 to 24 hours.

"If the center of Erika survives the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola (the island that is home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti) it should slowly reorganize back into a tropical storm this weekend, just northeast of Cuba," AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said.

"If Erica does not survive the interaction with Hispaniola, it may never reorganize into a coherent tropical storm again and impact on Florida would be reduced," he said.

RELATED: Miami residents still on alert despite weakening Tropical Storm Erika

A portion of South Florida is in severe or extreme drought, according to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, so some rain would be welcome there. However, that may not be the case elsewhere in Florida.

For example, the Tampa area is already soaked from a bout of historic rain in late July and early August, the Tampa Bay Times reports, and a significant strike from Erika would almost certainly cause flooding.

New tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the Bahamas as Erika approaches. As of 5 p.m. ET, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. It was centered about 95 miles west-southwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was moving west at 21 mph.

On the tiny Caribbean island of Dominica, Ian Pinard, minister of works and ports, told CCN TV6 that 25 people were killed in one community alone because of flooding and landslides. He said 14 bodies have already been recovered. The report could not be immediately confirmed.

"There are still persons missing," he told the Trinidad and Tobago TV station. "The country's infrastructure has been devastated."

Photos and videos on social media showed floodwaters inundating streets and causing buildings to collapse on Dominica as up to 15 inches of rain fell there between late Wednesday and early Thursday, the Antigua Weather Service said.

In the Pacific, two hurricanes — Ignacio and Jimena — continue to spin in the open waters. Ignacio could impact Hawaii by Monday and Tuesday. It's now over 800 miles away from Hilo, Hawaii, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Contributing: Gregory Korte, USA TODAY