Hurricane Ernesto knocks out power in Bermuda but major damage avoided
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Ernesto knocked out power, downed trees and flooded parts of Bermuda, causing power loss for 74 per cent of Bermuda’s 36,000 customers.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERMUDA - Hurricane Ernesto knocked out power, downed trees and flooded parts of Bermuda on Aug 17, but the British island territory appeared to have escaped major injuries or property damage, officials said after an initial assessment.
The Category 1 storm unleashed powerful winds and whipped up 10m-high seas, leading to power loss for 74 per cent of the territory’s 36,000 customers, officials said.
“I’m happy to report that there have been no calls for service for any major incidents or damage to any property, and those calls that we’ve received over the last six hours or so are primarily flooding,” risk management official Lyndon Raynor said on a government video update.
Some 150mm of rain had fallen and more was expected from the back end of the storm, Ms Michelle Pitcher, director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said on the video.
The US National Weather Service said the hurricane was tracking north-northeast. As of 2pm EDT (2am on Aug 18, Singapore time), it had moved about 95km past Bermuda, which lies some 1,000km off the Carolina coast, and was expected to continue moving away on Aug 17.
The centre of the storm is forecast to approach southeastern Newfoundland in Canada late on Aug 19, the US weather service said.
Maximum sustained winds remained at 130kmh and were predicted to hold at that speed for another 48 hours, after which they should weaken, the US weather service said.
Bermuda, an archipelago with a population of around 64,000, received a roughly three-hour respite when Ernesto’s eye passed over the island early on Aug 17, but battering rain and wind resumed.
The winds should weaken by Aug 17 afternoon, Ms Pitcher said.
A man walks on a road covered by sand from a nearby beach, as the eye of Hurricane Ernesto passes, in Smith’s Parish, Bermuda.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“I think that brings some comfort that we are nearing the end of Hurricane Ernesto but we are not there yet,” added Mr Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s national security minister.
Electric utility Belco said the storm caused near island-wide outages, with about 26,600 customers without power as of Aug 17 afternoon.
Ernesto’s ocean swells were affecting the US. In New York City, beaches in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens were closed to swimmers on Aug 17 and 18, as forecasts called for dangerous rip currents and swells of up to 2m, the mayor’s office said. REUTERS
Waves in Harrington Sound crash ashore as the eye of Hurricane Ernesto passes over Smith’s Parish, Bermuda.
PHOTO: REUTERS
