Tropical storm clears Bahamas

2005-09-20 15:27

Nassau - Tropical storm Rita cleared the Bahamas on Tuesday, leaving downed tree branches in its wake but causing no major damage, officials said.

The storm worked its way through the island chain, gathering force before it moved into the Florida Straits at near hurricane strength, with maximum winds of 110km per hour. A hurricane warning was in effect for the Keys, Florida's southeast coast and parts of Cuba.

But the strongest parts of Rita did not hit the islands in the Bahamas chain, which saw winds of just 64-86 km per hour at the peak of the storm, said Arthur Rolle, director of meteorology for the Bahamas Weather Service.

"We had some trees knocked down but nothing significant," Rolle said.

Earlier, people pulled boats ashore and shuttered windows as Rita - the 17th named storm of the season - approached on a path that promised bring heavy rain and winds to parts of the chain.

Concerned residents

The Bahamas is accustomed to rough tropical weather and forecasters said the main threats were flooding and damaged roofs.

Fishermen dragged their boats to dry land and some people shuttered their windows - a sign that normally laid-back islanders were concerned about Rita, said Ray Mackie, the owner of Tranquility Hill fishing lodge on the island of Andros.

"After what happened to New Orleans and the Gulf area, nobody is taking this storm lightly," Mackie said.

Authorities in the island chain urged people to stay home, shutter their windows and secure loose items around their houses that could be carried off by the wind.

Rita had sustained winds near 110km per hour, the United States National Hurricane Centre said. Tropical storms become hurricanes when their sustained winds reach 119km per hour.

Schools closed due to storm

The centre of the storm was about 225km east-southeast of Key West and moving at nearly 28km per hour as the storm moved toward the Florida Keys. Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 195km.

Some public schools were closed throughout the Bahamas as the storm worked its way up the chain of islands. In the capital, Nassau, business went on as usual.

On central Grand Exhuma Island, Rita's winds jostled palm trees along mostly abandoned streets, while the 183-room Four Seasons resort gave staff the option of going home early until the storm passed.

"We told them they could go and be with their families if they wanted," said Antoine Chahwan, general manager of the resort, which was still running normally.

This the fourth busiest season since record keeping began, according to the US centre. The season started on June 1 and ends on November 30.

Meanwhile, a storm system east of the Leeward Islands developed on Sunday into Hurricane Philippe, with maximum winds of 120km per hour. There was no immediate threat to land, authorities said.

- AP