According to Jessica Soklow, a spokeswoman
for the Bermuda Tourism Board, the island "sustained minimal
damage" after Hurricane Florence, a Category 1 storm, passed nearby
on Sept. 11.
The storm brought
heavy rains and sustained winds of 80 mph to 90 mph, causing power
outages to about 23,000 homes and businesses, the majority of which
have been restored, according to the BTB.
The airport was
scheduled to have reopened Sept. 12 after minor cleanup was
completed. In addition, according to the Government Works and
Engineering department, all roads are open and passable.
The BTB said that no
hotels have reported any damage and that cruise ships are expected
to resume their normal operations later in the week.
"We look forward to
welcoming all our guests to the island to experience everything
Bermuda has to offer," said Ewart Brown, Bermuda's Deputy
Premier.
While Florence still
had winds strong enough to categorize it as a hurricane (75 mph),
the storm was becoming extratropical, meaning it was moving over
cooler waters and losing its tropical characteristics and would no
longer be considered a hurricane (or tropical storm).
The storm was
expected to pass St. John's, Newfoundland, in the next 24 hours or
so. High surf conditions attributed to Florence continued to affect
the entire East Coast.
Tropical Storm Gordon
was picking up strength and was just shy of hurricane status with
the possibility of becoming the third hurricane of the season. The
storm, however, was not expected to threaten any land and should
remain out in the Atlantic on a projected path to the right of
Bermuda, according to forecasters.
Meanwhile, tropical
depression eight, which is about 200 miles south of the Cape Verde
Islands off the coast of Africa, was nearing tropical storm
strength and expected to become Tropical Storm Helene sometime on
Sept. 13.
To
contact TravelWeekly.com's managing editor Kimberly Scholz, send
e-mail to [email protected].
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