Storm knocks out power

2008-07-15 14:02

Bermuda - Tropical Storm Bertha headed back out over open ocean on Tuesday after it battered Bermuda, knocking out electricity to thousands on the Atlantic tourist island.

Bermuda's weather service cancelled a hurricane watch for the island late on Monday as Bertha's centre moved away from the British territory. It said a tropical storm watch remained in effect, however.

The storm whipped up dangerous rip currents along the US East Coast from the Carolinas through southern New England, contributing to at least one drowning on Saturday along a New Jersey beach, officials said.

Early on Tuesday, Bertha was centred about 305km north-northeast of Bermuda with sustained winds near 110km/h, the US National Hurricane Centre said. The storm was swirling north-northeast at 15km/h.

The streets of Bermuda's capital, Hamilton, were empty and all ferries and flights were cancelled. Bertha's heavy rains flooded roads and its winds felled utility poles, leaving up to 4 000 without electricity. There were no reports of injuries.

Ron Smith, a carpenter who moved to Bermuda about a year ago from the English city of Stoke-on-Trent, described the broad storm's passage as "harrowing".

"You could see the waves just crashing down and the winds were ferocious, still are," said Smith, one of dozens who rode out the storm in The Pickled Onion pub and restaurant in Hamilton.

Retiree Barbara Richardson hunkered down in her home in the southern parish of Warwick, where electricity was knocked out for about an hour.

"The wind was howling pretty bad there for a while, but now it's calming down," Richardson said. "We've seen worse here."

Bertha became the Atlantic season's first hurricane on July 7, but later weakened into a tropical storm. It is expected to re-strengthen into a hurricane on Tuesday, the centre said.

Also on Monday, Elida became the second hurricane of the Eastern Pacific region's season, scattering rains across Mexico's central coast. The storm, with winds of nearly 140km/h, was headed away from land and was expected to gradually weaken during the next 48 hours.

Elida was centred about 770km south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, and was moving west about 17km/h.

- AP