Hurricane Ernesto barrels toward Bermuda as British territory preps for storm

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto charged toward Bermuda on Friday as officials in the tiny British territory in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean prepared to open shelters and close government offices.

The Category 2 storm located 180 miles (285 kilometres) south-southwest of Bermuda was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). It was moving north-northeast at 14 mph (22 kph).

Ernesto was expected to pass near or over Bermuda on Saturday morning. Tropical storm conditions including strong winds and life-threatening floods were expected to start affecting Bermuda on Friday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the centre said.

The storm was forecast to dump between 6 and 12 inches of rain, with up to 15 inches in isolated areas. Forecasters noted that Ernesto was a large hurricane, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 75 miles (120 kilometres) from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 275 miles (445 kilometres).

In preparation for the storm, officials in the wealthy British territory announced they would suspend public transportation and close the airport by Friday night.

National Security Minister Michael Weeks warned of dangerous weather conditions starting late Friday.
"Hurricane Ernesto seriously threatens our community," he said. "This is not a storm to be taken lightly."
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands whose land mass makes up roughly the size of Manhattan.

According to AccuWeather, it's uncommon for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall. It noted that since 1850, only 11 of 130 tropical storms that have come within 100 miles (160 kilometres) of Bermuda have made landfall.

The island is a renowned offshore financial centre with sturdy construction, and given its elevation, storm surge is not as problematic as it is with low-lying islands.

Ernesto previously battered the northeast Caribbean, where it left hundreds of thousands of people without power or water in Puerto Rico after swiping past the US territory as a tropical storm.

More than 240,000 out of 1.4 million clients were still without power more than two days after the storm. Another 170,000 were without water as the National Weather Service issued yet another severe heat advisory, warning of "dangerously hot and humid conditions."

"It's not easy," said Andrés Cabrera, 60, who lives in the north coastal city of Carolina and had no water or power.

Like many on the island, he could not afford a generator or solar panels. Cabrera said he was relying for relief only "on the wind that comes in from the street."

Officials say they hope to restore power to 90 per cent of nearly 1.5 million customers in Puerto Rico by Sunday, but have given no word yet on when they expect power to be fully restored.

Of 152 locations of critical infrastructure without electricity that are being given priority, 36 now have power, said Juan Saca, president of Luma Energy, a private company that operates the transmission and distribution of power on the island.

In the neighbouring US Virgin Islands, crews also were working to restore power, with 80% of customers back online.

Ernesto is the fifth named storm and the 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 because of record warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes.

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