Mexico City.– Hurricane Ernesto weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), after making landfall in the small Atlantic territory of Bermuda early in the morning.
Ernesto brought heavy rain and winds, forcing residents to take shelter. Meanwhile, Bermuda’s power company, BELCO, reported that as of Saturday afternoon more than 26,000 customers were without power due to the storm.
Earlier in the day, the NHC issued a warning for strong winds, dangerous storm surge and significant coastal flooding.
Ernesto is expected to bring 6 to 9 inches (15 to 22 centimeters) of rain to Bermuda. “This rainfall could cause potentially life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas of the island,” the NHC added.
Because of the storm’s large size and slow movement, hurricane-force winds were forecast to continue through Saturday afternoon and tropical storm-force winds well into Sunday, Bermuda’s government said. Ernesto was moving north-northeast at 7 mph (11 kph).
Bermuda Weather Service confirmed the eye passed between 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. local time. The eye expanded as it passed over Bermuda and had lighter than expected winds.
“We want to reiterate that the storm is not over,” said Michael Weeks, Secretary of Homeland Security.
The minister said the Emergency Measures Organisation is currently receiving damage assessments while reports made overnight are reaching the operations group. So far, they have not received any reports of significant damage.
The NHC reported life-threatening storm surges and rip currents on the U.S. East Coast and said they would reach Canada later in the day. Ernesto’s center will slowly move away from Bermuda on Saturday and pass near southeastern Newfoundland on Monday night, the center said.
Lana Morris, manager of Edgehill Manor Guest House in Bermuda, said conditions were calm, although the wind had started to pick up again.
“I have spoken to my guests, they have told me that they still have electricity, that they have running water and that they are comfortable.”
Morris said he has been communicating with his guests by phone.
“They don’t have internet, but if the internet doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. They are safe and that makes me happy.”
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands whose total land mass is roughly the size of Manhattan.
It is unusual for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall there, AccuWeather said. It noted that since 1850, only 11 of the 130 tropical storms that have passed within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Bermuda have made landfall.
The island is a well-known offshore financial centre with solid construction and, given its elevation, storm surges are not as problematic as on low-lying islands.
Ernesto had already hit the northeastern Caribbean, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power or water in Puerto Rico. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued another severe heat warning, warning of “dangerously hot and humid conditions.”
Puerto Rico’s electricity company, LUMA, said it had restored power to more than 1.3 million customers 72 hours after Ernesto hit. Hundreds of thousands more remained without water.
Authorities say they hope to restore power to 90% of customers in the territory by Sunday, but have not offered a timetable for full service recovery.
Following cleanup and debris removal efforts, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education said all public schools will resume operations on Monday.
Classes in Puerto Rico are also scheduled to begin on Monday, almost a week later than their original date.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm of the year and the third Atlantic hurricane of the season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year due to record-warm ocean temperatures. It predicted between 17 and 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes.
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