Hurricane Ernesto expected to intensify; Bermuda prepares: updates

After battering Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Hurricane Ernesto moved across the western Atlantic toward Bermuda on Thursday, threatening to strengthen into a major hurricane before it reaches the British territory.

Ernesto, now a Category 1 hurricane, was located 570 miles southwest of Bermuda with sustained winds of 85 mph, according to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. The storm is moving at 14 mph and is expected to begin dumping heavy rain on Bermuda on Friday before moving past or over the archipelago on Saturday.

“Preparations to protect lives and property should be completed as soon as possible,” the hurricane center said, warning that parts of Bermuda could receive up to a foot of rain, potentially causing “significant, life-threatening flooding.” Forecasters expect Ernesto to become a major hurricane as early as Friday, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph (179 kph).

Meanwhile, residents and authorities in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were recovering from Wednesday’s deluge. At its peak, half of Puerto Rico’s utilities — a whopping 730,000 — were in the dark. As of Thursday morning, just over 445,000 homes and businesses were still without power, according to the LUMA Energy website.

Flood warnings remained in effect in Puerto Rico as rivers continued to surge across the country, threatening neighborhoods and low-lying areas. In the past 48 hours, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands received half a foot of rain, while the total for parts of southeastern Puerto Rico rose to 10 inches.

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Developments:

∎ According to the National Hurricane Center, swells likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will spread to Bermuda and the rest of the Bahamas on Thursday. Such swells were expected to reach the eastern coast of the continental U.S. on Thursday evening and last through the weekend.

∎ A heat warning is in effect for northern Puerto Rico as humidity and temperatures in the area are high, worsening conditions for hundreds of thousands of people still without power. “A period of dangerously hot and humid conditions is expected,” the weather service in San Juan warned Thursday.

∎ As Ernesto moves through the Atlantic, it continues to disrupt cruise ships. This week, several Carnival and Norwegian cruises had their itineraries altered due to the intensifying storm, with some skipping Puerto Rico or avoiding the eastern Caribbean altogether.

Jason Lawrence spent most of Wednesday preparing for Hurricane Ernesto. The lifelong Bermuda resident pulled four of his boats out of the water and tied them down before dragging his patio furniture inside and nailing plywood over the windows.

The 38-year-old also helped his parents and brother secure their homes. At his supermarket, M. Soares & Sons, in the Spanish Point neighborhood, he unpacked deliveries of water, bread, batteries and canned food on Thursday.

“I feel like most people are going to be taking their plywood and bunker down today,” he said. “This afternoon and tomorrow is going to be pretty busy for us in the supermarkets.”

Lawrence plans to ride out the storm at his North Shore home, just yards from the ocean, with his wife and two sons, ages 1 and 6.

“We don’t really panic until it gets to a Category 3,” he said. “The structures here are different than the States. The houses are standing strong, so once you pack everything up, you’re good.”

Bermuda’s Minister of National Security Michael Weeks warned residents and tourists at a news conference on Wednesday to make immediate preparations for the arrival of Hurricane Ernesto.

According to Weeks, the storm will bring a deluge of dangerous weather conditions, including flooding, high storm surges and strong winds, which could “lead to a significant loss of electricity across the island.”

“While Bermuda has been fortunate in recent years to avoid the worst effects of hurricanes, we must take every storm seriously and prepare accordingly,” he said. “It only takes one storm to cause significant damage and disrupt our way of life.”

He urged people to secure their belongings, including patio furniture and boats, and said they should stock up on food, medicine and batteries. Weeks added that officials will meet on Thursday and make decisions then on the operation of the main island’s causeway, airport and public transport services.

“Don’t be lulled into thinking you can wait until the last minute — the window to prepare is closing fast,” he said. “This is not the time to underestimate the power of nature.”

As workers in the U.S. Virgin Islands continued to restore power, officials announced Wednesday night that government offices would reopen but that public schools would remain closed “for continued cleanup and safety screenings.”

Crews were able to make progress restoring power after the storm caused a total blackout on the island of St. Croix and extended outages on St. John. Karl Knight, CEO of the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, said 75% of utilities on St. Croix were expected to have power restored by Wednesday evening. Power outages continued on St. John but were expected to be resolved in the coming days.

“Today was a very successful day – we started off a little slow, but I think we gained momentum as the evening progressed,” he said.

Meanwhile, the airports on St. Croix and St. Thomas successfully reopened Wednesday afternoon, although delays were still reported. Officials were also expected to complete assessments of ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday so that ferry and barge operations could resume.

While Ernesto is expected to remain well offshore of the U.S. mainland, authorities are warning of an increased risk of life-threatening waves and rip currents along East Coast beaches as the storm moves toward Bermuda.

According to the National Hurricane Center, waves from the storm are expected later this week and into the weekend.

“Beachgoers should be aware of the significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents and stay out of the water when advised to do so by lifeguards,” the hurricane center advised. “Surf and rip currents are also possible in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas in the coming days.”

Where is Hurricane Ernesto?

In a revised forecast issued earlier this month, the federal government said a “very active” hurricane season is likely in the Atlantic Ocean.

“Atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for an extremely active hurricane season, which could be among the busiest on record,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its forecast.

NOAA predicted 17 to 24 named storms, of which about eight to 13 would reach hurricane strength, up from the average of 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. Those numbers include four other storms that formed this year, including deadly Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Debby.

Residents and authorities in the eastern U.S. are still recovering from Debby, which caused dangerous flooding in western New York and Pennsylvania. Last month, Beryl became the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, devastating parts of the Caribbean and at one point leaving more than 1.3 million homes and businesses without power in Texas.

“The hurricane season started early and hard with Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “NOAA’s update to the hurricane season outlook is an important reminder that the peak of the hurricane season is just around the corner, when historically the most significant impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms occur.”

Contributions: Jorge L. Ortiz, Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Reuters