Hurricane Ernesto is expected to hit Bermuda this weekend after having trashed Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands on Wednesday. The hurricane will likely leave minacious flooding and perilous winds in its wake after passing over or near Bermuda on Saturday morning.
Though only 11 out of 130 hurricanes have succeeding in hitting Bermuda since 1850, the archipelago is making extensive arrangements to minimize the repercussions of the storm. Ernesto is the third hurricane and the fifth storm that has been named in this hurricane season of the Atlantic.
Hurricane forecast in Bermuda
The U.S National Hurricane Centre declared that the hurricane was about 105 km away from southwest Bermuda, as of 11 pm Atlantic Standard Time and seems to be moving at 20 kmph towards the British islands. It has already started affecting the region as Bermuda saw steady downpour starting Friday afternoon. The rainfall is expected to continue thorough Saturday night as well.
It was initially classified as Category 2 Hurricane on the Saffir- Simpson scale but has been pegged down to Category 1. However, the hurricane is still generating winds with a speed of 150 kmph and may intensify over the Gulf Stream. The storm is expected to cause around 9 inches of precipitation in Bermuda. The weather will remain under the hurricane’s effect till Sunday.
Bermuda braces for Ernesto
The Bermuda administration has bolstered up to combat any outcomes. The airports were closed last night while public transport services and government offices have been temporarily closed. Shelters have also been opened and the Bermuda Hospital Board (BHB) has placed ambulances and teams in several strategic locations to deal with emergencies.
Michael Weeks, the National Security Minister in a Friday Press Conference said that the hurricane is the “real deal” and “seriously threatens our community”. The citizens have been directed to brace for 36 hours of the storm. Many people have stocked up on essentials and are prepared to fortify themselves within their homes. 5,400 of 36,000 people are already suffering from a power outage, accounting for 14% of Bermuda Electric Light Company’s (BELCO) customers.
Power Outages in Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
Luma Energy, the main power distributor in Puerto Rico reported that over half of the 1.5 million population experienced a power outage. Hurricane Ernesto created difficult situations in areas of the Caribbean islands. Approximately 170,000 civilians were left without water, even as the weather turned hot and humid.
North Carolina house collapses
Morehead city’s National Weather Service office issued Coastal Flood Advisory due to the coalesced threat of hurricane Ernesto and the high tide triggered by the Supermoon. Though the hurricane was over 1500 kilometres away, North Carolina experienced a whisper of the storm on Friday when its National Highway 12 reported some flooding.
A house on the outer banks of the state collapsed due to the water swells. The incident did not cause any injuries as the house was unoccupied at the time. However, the house’s foundation had already weakened over time before it collapsed yesterday. New York State government also closed beaches to surfers and swimmers in the Queens and Brooklyn area due to a forecast of swells as high as 2 metres.
Ernesto is the third hurricane and the fifth storm that has been named in what is expected to be a turbulent hurricane season of the Atlantic.
