Hurricane “Ernesto” made landfall in Bermuda earlier on Saturday, bringing strong winds, dangerous storm surges, and potentially deadly floods to this British island territory.
According to Reuters, at 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, the storm centered over Bermuda, with a population of about 64,000, located 600 miles (970 kilometers) off the coast of South Carolina.
“Ernesto” had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour) on Saturday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm would bring strong winds, dangerous storm surges, and severe coastal flooding.
The hurricane center stated that “Ernesto” is expected to slowly move away from Bermuda on Saturday along a northeast to north-northeast track, reaching near or east of Newfoundland by Monday night.
The U.S. Hurricane Center said the storm carries dangerous storm surges, expected to cause severe coastal flooding in parts of Bermuda, with rainfall amounts forecasted up to 9 inches (225 millimeters).
On Friday, “Ernesto” was classified as a Category 2 storm. The hurricane center said the intensity was not expected to change significantly on Saturday, but it may strengthen later in the weekend and begin to weaken by Monday.
“People, do not hold any illusions. This storm is real,” Bermuda’s Minister of National Security, Michael Weeks, told reporters on Friday, adding that emergency personnel would be deployed to strategic areas in Bermuda.
The power company BELCO reported that by Friday afternoon, the strong winds from “Ernesto” had caused power outages for 5,400 out of 36,000 customers in Bermuda. The company stated that repair crews were recalled from the field due to unsafe working conditions.
The hurricane center mentioned that the waves generated by “Ernesto” had impacts on Bermuda, the Bahamas, and parts of the U.S. East Coast.
In New York, the Mayor’s Office announced that all beaches in Brooklyn and Queens would be closed to swimmers on Saturday and Sunday as the National Weather Service predicted waves as high as 6 feet (2 meters).
—
Please note that the above translation is a rewritten version of the original news article provided.