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 ...