Hurricane Ernesto: Almost half of Puerto Rico without power
August 15, 2024
The hurricane is gathering pace as it heads towards Bermuda. In Puerto Rico, more than 725,000 homes and businesses were without electricity.
In the north coastal town of Toa Baja, which is susceptible to flooding, residents moved their cars to higher areasImage: Alejandro Granadillo/AP Photo/picture alliance
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Hurricane Ernesto hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday, knocking out power for nearly half of all homes and businesses on the Caribbean island as it threatened to strengthen into a major hurricane en route to Bermuda.
More than 725,000 homes and businesses in the US territory were without electricity from out of a total of around 1.5 million users, according to LUMA Energy, the island's main energy supplier.
By early Thursday, the storm was over open water about 675 miles (1,085 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) and moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).
Warnings in place for beaches on US East Coast
"Hurricane conditions are possible on Bermuda on Saturday," the National Hurricane Center posted on social media. "The risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents is expected to increase along the US East Coast beaches this weekend."
Regarding the threat to the US East Coast, Robbie Berg, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center, said: "Anybody who goes to the beach, even if the weather is beautiful and nice, it could be dangerous, with those rip currents."
This satellite image shows Hurricane Ernesto northwest of San Juan, Puerto RicoImage: NOAA via AP/picture alliance
Meanwhile, tropical storm warnings were discontinued for Puerto Rico and its outlying islands of Culebra and Vieques and for the US and British Virgin Islands.
"I know it was a long night listening to that wind howl," US Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. told reporters.
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Bermuda braces itself
A Category 1 hurricane, Ernesto was gradually strengthening and could be deemed a Category 3 hurricane by Friday.
"Residents need to prepare now before conditions worsen," Bermuda's National Security Minister Michael Weeks said. "Now is not the time for complacency."
US: Tropical Storm Beryl moves through Texas
In Texas, Beryl was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Even so, the storm left devastation in its wake after making landfall. Several people have died and millions of households are still without power.
Image: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Tropical Storm Beryl continues to move northeast
Beryl made landfall as a hurricane near the Texan town of Matagorda early Monday morning local time, but then weakened to a tropical storm. Matagorda is located some 130 kilometers (80.7 miles) southwest of the Texan metropolis Houston.
Image: NOAA/REUTERS
Severe destruction in southeast Texas
The hurricane brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to Texas and caused considerable damage. The state's southeastern region was particularly affected. This image, captured by a drone, shows the massive destruction of a house in Surfside Beach, a small coastal town in Brazoria County.
Image: Adrees Latif/REUTERS
The calm after the storm
Millions of people in Texas are still without power as Tropical Storm Beryl continues to move through the US state. It will probably take several days to restore power to the two to three million households affected, said the chairman of an operating company.
Image: Adrees Latif/REUTERS
Deaths in Houston
The death toll has risen to five so far. One person died after a lightning strike possibly triggered a fire, said John Whitmire, the mayor of Houston. The city, home to over two million inhabitants, saw streets flooded and power lines downed after Beryl struck on Monday. One death was also recorded in the state of Louisiana.
Image: Rich Matthews/REUTERS
Warning for Texas and Louisiana
In Jasper County, along the Texan border with the state of Louisiana, a tornado destroyed about three dozen houses. The US National Hurricane Center has warned of further tornadoes, flash floods and strong winds for parts of Texas and Louisiana.
There is still a risk of life-threatening storm surges on the Gulf Coast in Texas, and people are being cautioned to beware of strong currents. According to meteorologists, Beryl is expected to move northeast in the coming days, and continue to lose strength as it goes.
The hurricane had already caused severe destruction in Venezuela, various Caribbean islands and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in recent days. Beryl is the first Category 5 hurricane of the season. This is the highest classification on what is known as the Saffir-Simpson scale, which measures wind speeds and ranks them by the damage they're expected to cause.
