MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto made landfall early Saturday morning in the small British territory of Bermuda as residents continued to hunker down. The hurricane now has a large rain-free central region that is poised to pass Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The eye has widened and Ernesto has slowed, although the second half of the storm is expected to move over Bermuda Saturday afternoon.
The Category 1 storm is packing sustained winds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h). The U.S. National Hurricane Center has warned of high winds, dangerous storm surge and significant coastal flooding.
According to the center, between 150 and 225 millimeters of rain are expected to fall on Bermuda. “This rainfall will likely cause significant flash flooding, particularly in low-lying areas of the island,” the center said.
Due to the storm’s large size and slow progress, hurricane-force winds are expected to continue through Saturday afternoon, and tropical-storm-force winds are expected to continue through Sunday, the Bermuda government said. Ernesto is moving north-northeast at about 15 km/h.
An update from the Bermuda Weather Service Saturday morning indicated that a hurricane warning remained in effect.
“We want to reiterate that the storm is not over,” said National Security Minister Michael Weeks.
The minister said the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) is currently receiving damage assessments as reports from the night come in to the operations group. They have not received any reports of major damage at this time.
The NHC reported life-threatening waves and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast and said they would reach Canada later today. The center of Ernesto will slowly move away from Bermuda Saturday and pass near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday and Monday night, the center said.
Bermuda’s electricity company BELCO said more than 26,000 customers were without power as of Saturday afternoon.
Lana Morris, manager of Edgehill Manor guesthouse in Bermuda, said conditions were calm, although the wind was starting to pick up again.
“I spoke to my guests, they told me that they still had electricity, running water and that they were comfortable.”
Morris said she communicates with her guests by phone.
“They don’t have internet, but if the network is down, it’s down. They’re safe and I’m happy about that.”
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 small islands with a total land mass roughly the size of Manhattan.
According to AccuWeather, it is rare for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall in Bermuda. The agency noted that prior to today, since 1850, only 11 of the 130 tropical storms that have occurred within 100 miles of Bermuda have made landfall.
The island is a well-known offshore financial centre with solid construction and, given its altitude, storm surges are not as much of a problem as on low-lying islands.
Ernesto had already hit the northeastern Caribbean, leaving tens of thousands without water in Puerto Rico, while the National Weather Service issued a new heat advisory, warning of “dangerously hot and humid conditions.”
More than 115,000 of the 1.5 million customers were still without power more than two days after the storm. Another 170,000 were without water as the National Weather Service issued a new heat advisory, warning of “dangerously hot and humid conditions.”
“It’s not easy,” said Andrés Cabrera, 60, who lives in the northern coastal city of Carolina, which has no water or electricity.
Like many islanders, he couldn’t afford a generator or solar panels. Cabrera said he could only rely on the wind blowing down the street for relief.
Authorities said they hoped to restore power to 90% of Puerto Rico’s nearly 1.5 million customers by Sunday, but did not say when they expected power to be fully restored.
After a cleanup and debris removal process, the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) said all public schools will resume operations on Monday.
Classes in Puerto Rico’s public schools were also scheduled to begin Monday, nearly a week later than originally scheduled.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm and third hurricane of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year. due to record ocean temperaturesIt predicted between 17 and 25 named storms, as well as four to seven major hurricanes.
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This story has been corrected to give the precipitation conversion in millimeters instead of centimeters.
