HAMILTON, Bermuda — Bermuda suffered extensive power outages on Saturday after Hurricane Gonzalo pummeled the tiny island chain with rain and howling winds, but the tourist destination dodged catastrophic damage and death despite the direct hit.
Most of the Atlantic archipelago, an affluent insurance industry hub about 640 miles off the coast of North Carolina, was without electricity Saturday morning and many roads were impassable due to downed trees and debris.
Only minor injuries were reported, Bermuda officials said.
The strongest storm to sweep the subtropical British territory in a decade whipped Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of around 110 miles per hour as it made landfall Friday night, forecasters said, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 60 miles from its center.
Premier Michael Dunkley said in a statement that island residents awoke to damaged property, blocked roads and no electricity, “all things that can be replaced and restored.”
“I think all of Bermuda would agree that we took a licking. We are a bit bruised,” Dunkley said in a radio broadcast, according to the local Royal Gazette. But, he added, “all in all we came out of this storm much better than we expected.”
By Saturday afternoon, Gonzalo was about 450 miles north-northeast of Bermuda, with sustained winds of 90 mph, the hurricane center said.
Bermuda Electric Light Co. had restored power to thousands of customers, but about 20,000 out of 36,000 metered connections remained without electricity, the company said.
Gonzalo roared ashore just five days after Tropical Storm Fay hit, serving a one-two punch to the island.
“The center of the eye went right over them,” said Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center. “It was a direct hit.”
Gonzalo is expected to pass near the coast of Newfoundland on Saturday night and early Sunday, hurricane center forecasters said, adding that Canadian officials had issued a tropical storm watch from Arnold’s Cove to Chapel’s Cove.
Jeff Masters, a hurricane expert with private forecaster Weather Underground, said Bermuda was among the best equipped places in the Atlantic for weathering such storms, in part because of strict building codes.
Hurricane Fabian, which pummeled the island in 2003 and caused $300 million in damage, was a Category 3 storm, he said.
Earlier, Gonzalo wrought destruction in the Caribbean, tearing off roofs in Antigua, and killing an elderly sailor and damaging some three dozen vessels in St. Maarten.
Hurricane Ana, brushing past Hawaii, to bring strong rain, surf
A hurricane churning past Hawaii will bring heavy rain, strong winds and severe surf conditions to the Pacific archipelago through the weekend but will not make a direct hit on the islands, the National Weather Service predicted on Saturday.
Hurricane Ana was carving a path across the Pacific Ocean roughly parallel with the Hawaiian islands and its eye was expected to pass about 150 miles to the south of Honolulu on Saturday, according to forecasters.
Ana, a Category 1 storm, had maximum sustained winds of about 80 miles per hour and was predicted to drop to tropical storm status on Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
“The current forecast track will keep the strongest and most destructive winds offshore,” AccuWeather meteorologists said.
No hurricane has landed a direct hit on Hawaii since Iniki, a Category 4 storm that struck in September 1992, killing six people and causing damage estimated at $2.4 billion.
Ana was expected to bring heavy, dangerous surf, and a tropical storm warning was in effect early Saturday for most of the islands, where up to 40 mile-per-hour winds were predicted.
Oahu, the most populated of the Hawaiian Islands, opened its emergency operations center on Friday morning and Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he would make a decision on opening shelters and closing beaches throughout the weekend.
“I urge Oahu residents to prepare by storing food and water for up to seven days, making sure their flashlights work, and having a family disaster plan,” Caldwell said.
In August, tropical storm Iselle pummeled the Hawaiian Islands with high winds and heavy rain, forcing hundreds of people to seek shelter and knocking out power to more than 20,000 residents.