Ernesto pummels northeast Caribbean, knocking out power in the region

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP):

Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday as it dropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and left nearly half of all clients in the US territory without power, as it threatened to become a major storm en route to Bermuda.

The storm was located about 225 miles (365 kilometres) northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was moving over open waters. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).

“The official forecast still reflects the possibility of Ernesto becoming a major hurricane in about 48 hours,” the National Hurricane Centre said on Wednesday afternoon.

Tropical storm warnings were discontinued for Puerto Rico and its outlying islands of Vieques and Culebra and for the US and British Virgin Islands.

“I know it was a long night listening to that wind howl,” US Virgin Islands Gov Albert Bryan Jr said in a news conference.

An islandwide blackout was reported in St John and St Croix, and at least six cell phone towers were knocked offline across the US territory, said Daryl Jaschen, emergency management director.

He added that the airports in St Croix and St Thomas were expected to reopen at midday.

Schools and government agencies remained closed in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where heavy flooding was reported in several areas, forcing officials to block roads, some of which were strewn with trees. More than 140 flights also were cancelled to and from Puerto Rico.

“A lot of rain, a lot of rain,” Culebra Mayor Edilberto Romero said in a phone interview. “We have trees that have fallen on public roads. There are some roofs that are blown off.”

The risk of flash flooding in parts of Puerto Rico remained in the afternoon because of the ongoing heavy rains, the hurricane centre said.

Amid the relentless rain, officials opened one of Puerto Rico’s biggest dams and evacuated some residents from the north coastal town of Toa Baja as torrents of churning brown water flowed towards it.

Ernesto is forecast to move through open waters for the rest of the week and make its closest approach to Bermuda on Friday and Saturday. It is expected to become a major Category 3 storm in the upcoming days and then weaken slightly to a Category 2 as it nears Bermuda.

“Residents need to prepare now before conditions worsen,” said Bermuda’s National Security Minister Michael Weeks. “Now is not the time for complacency.”

Forecasters also warned of heavy swells along the US East Coast.

“That means that anybody who goes to the beach, even if the weather is beautiful and nice, it could be dangerous … with those rip currents,” said Robbie Berg, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Hurricane Centre.