Bermuda braces for Hurricane Gonzalo
The resort island chain of Bermuda is bracing for a hit from Hurricane Gonzalo, forecast to produce flooding, strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge.
The capital Hamilton was eerily quiet on Friday as people retreated to the safety of their homes.
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Schools, businesses, grocery stores and government offices all closed early the previous day, and many people boarded up the windows of their homes and placed sandbags outside in preparation of potential landfall in the evening.
By Friday afternoon, Gonzalo’s winds were whirling at 200km/h, with even stronger gusts, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Gonzalo has already killed one person in the Caribbean and triggered a hurricane warning for the British overseas territory, home to around 60,000 people.
The storm was just 160 kilometres south-southwest of the tourist hub’s shores, with forecasters predicting dangerous conditions 12 to 18 hours away.
“Preparations to protect life and property should have been completed,” the NHC said in its early evening bulletin.
The major storm, a Category Three on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, was moving at 25 kilometres per hour as it headed north-northeast toward the island chain.
“A dangerous and life-threatening storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding in Bermuda,” the NHC said.
“The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.”
The Miami-based forecasters said surges are affecting parts of the Virgin Islands, the northern coasts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, portions of the Bahamas and some spots on the southeast coast of the United States.
“Swells will spread northward along the US east coast today. These swells will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip conditions,” the NHC warned.