Ernesto batters British and US Virgin Islands, Bermuda braces for storm

A day ago, it was Tropical Storm Ernesto as it left a trail of destruction across Puerto Rico, the British and the US Virgin Islands but the storm has now strengthened into a category one hurricane as it heads out over warm ocean waters to Bermuda in the mid-Atlantic by Saturday.

Ernesto is the third of five named storms for the 2024 season so far and the third to have reached hurricane status after Beryl which had battered federation islands with Grenada in late June as well as neighboring Windward Islands. Forecasters say it could become a category two by the time it makes landfill if all models are correct on Bermuda. Jamaica was also severely impacted by Beryl in early July.

Emergency response officials in the BVI and the USVI have reported downed trees and power lines, some amount of flooding from as much as eight inches of rainfall, blocked roads and rockslides from the storm which had provided 12 hours of heavy rainfall and nearly 50 mile per hour winds. No serious injuries were reported in the BVI.

“So far, the reports that we’ve had coming in are mostly a lot of downed trees, very limited mudslides, obstructed roads that will be cleared by the road crews. There were a few poles and lines that came down,” disaster response chief Jasen Penn reported.

In the USVI, authorities there complained that nearly 30,000 people are without power after the stormed downed utility poles and damaged grid equipment

“On the forecast track, the center of Ernesto is expected to pass near or over Bermuda on Saturday. Strengthening is forecast during the next day or two, and Ernesto could become a major hurricane by Friday. Ernesto is forecast to be a large hurricane near Bermuda on Saturday,” the Miami-based US tracking center reported.

In nearby Puerto Rico officials say that Ernesto has already caused misery as it lashed the US protectorate overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, causing floods in low lying areas and damaging the power system leaving as much as 300,000 people with power.

As those lashed by Ernesto clean up and try to recover, Bermudan authorities say they are bracing for landfall after noon on Saturday and want everyone to baton down.

Security Minister Mike Weeks says the government is doing all in its power to prepare for the storm.

“While Bermuda has been fortunate in recent years to avoid the worst impacts of hurricanes, we have to take each storm seriously and prepare accordingly. It only takes one storm to cause significant damage and disrupt our way of life. This is not the time to underestimate the power of nature. Time is of the essence. Preparations must be completed as soon as possible.”