Tropical storm Erika expected in Florida,

Governor Rick Scott of Florida issued a state of emergency Friday as Tropical Storm Erika headed toward the state after killing at least a 20 people and causing devastating floods in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, while beginning to lose some strength. Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a televised address late Friday that the island has been set back 20 years in the damage inflicted by the storm. Tropical Storm Erika dumped 15 inches of rain on the mountainous island before it cut Friday into Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it topped trees and power lines. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the system was expected to move north across the island of Hispaniola where the high mountains would weaken it to a tropical depression on Saturday, and possibly cause it to dissipate entirely. Weather officials said there is still a chance the storm could regain some strength off northern Cuba and people in Florida should still keep an eye on it and brace for heavy rain, according to John Cagialosi, a hurricane specialist at the center.