 The departments of public works and power authority placed emergency crews on standby, while all ports out of the U.S. Virgin Islands were open to outbound vessel traffic only; the Coast Guard advised mariners to prepare for impending severe weather.As a tropical storm, Rafael hit Guadeloupe with large amounts of rain, causing significant damage to homes and especially crops.According to Météo-France, up to fell in 3 hours in the prefecture of Basse-Terre, and up to in 48 hours between October 13 and 14; an estimated fell during that same timeframe in Grande-Terre.