Hurricane Ernesto moves away from Bermuda to open waters

Hurricane Ernesto, which made landfall on the tiny British Atlantic territory of Bermuda on Saturday morning, brought heavy rains and strong winds before moving north-northeast away from the area..

The storm forced residents to stay indoors and more than 26,000 people were without power, officials said.

The Category 1 hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 75mph (120kmh). It was located about 85 miles (135km) northeast of Bermuda and moving north-northeast at 6mph.

Earlier, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned of strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and significant coastal flooding.

“This rainfall will likely result in considerable life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas on the island,” the NHC said.

Due to the large size of the storm and its slow movement, tropical storm force winds and gusts to hurricane force were expected to continue through Saturday afternoon, with tropical storm-strength winds continuing well into Sunday, the Bermuda government said.

The Bermuda Weather Service confirmed the passage of the eye was from 5.30am to 8.30am local time in Bermuda. The eye expanded as it crossed Bermuda and they had lighter than expected winds.

The Minister said that the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) is receiving damage assessments as reports from overnight come into the Operations Group. They have not received any reports of any major damages yet.

Lana Morris, manager of Edgehill Manor Guest House in Bermuda said that conditions are calm, though the wind has started to pick up again.

“I spoke to my guests, they told me they still have electricity, they have running water, and are comfortable.”

Ms Morris said she has been communicating with her guests via phone.

“They do not have internet — but if the network is down, it’s down. They are safe and I’m happy with that.”

“Hurricane Ernesto seriously threatens our community,” national security minister Michael Weeks said. “This is not a storm to be taken lightly.”

Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands whose total land mass is roughly the size of Manhattan.

According to AccuWeather, it is uncommon for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall in Bermuda. It noted that, before today, since 1850 only 11 of 130 tropical storms that came within 100 miles of Bermuda had landfall.

The island is a renowned offshore financial centre with sturdy construction, and given its elevation, storm surge is not as problematic as it is with low-lying islands.