HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) — Crews cleared away downed trees and power lines Saturday after Hurricane Gonzalo battered this tiny, wealthy British territory for several hours but caused no deaths or serious injuries.
The storm's center crossed over Bermuda late Friday and Gonzalo quickly moved northward over the Atlantic on a track that could take it just off the shore of Newfoundland in Canada.
Some 20,000 homes in Bermuda were still without power in the afternoon, but Premier Michael Dunkley said cleanup efforts were going smoothly. He said the U.S., Britain and other nations have offered assistance.
"All hands are on deck," he tweeted. "Bermuda is roaring back!"
Gonzalo approached Bermuda as a Category 3 storm then weakened to Category 2 strength just before coming ashore with sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph). Even after beginning to move away, its fierce winds battered the island for hours.
Maria Frith, who owns Grape Bay Cottages on Bermuda's south coast, said in a phone interview that the hurricane woke her up before dawn when it tore the patio roof off her house.
"To be perfectly honest with you, I was terrified, partly because of the noise," she said. "It was really scary."
Some Bermudians woke up to toppled concrete walls, uprooted palm trees and boats run aground. Gonzalo ripped part of the roof off the island's legislature, the House of Assembly, as well as the roof of an exhibit at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo. The Royal Gazette newspaper quoted principal curator Ian Walker as saying he had to put down a yellow crown night heron that suffered a broken wing.
No catastrophic damage was reported on Bermuda, which has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world and is known for strict building codes meant to ensure homes can withstand sustained winds of at least 110 mph (177 kph).
The last major hurricane to strike Bermuda was Fabian in September 2003. That Category 3 storm killed four people and caused more than $100 million in damage.
The island was still recovering from last weekend's blast from Tropical Storm Fay, which also damaged homes and toppled power lines.
"To be struck twice by two different cyclones is unusual, to say the least," said Max Mayfield, a former director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
A 436-foot (133-meter) frigate of Britain's Royal Navy with a crew of some 180 sailors was expected to arrive Sunday to help with post-storm recovery efforts.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gonzalo weakened as it moved away from Bermuda on a track that would take it past Newfoundland and then across the Atlantic to Britain and Ireland.
Canadian Hurricane Center officials said the storm wasn't expected to be a hurricane as it neared Canadian waters, but there was 30 percent chance it would make landfall as a post-tropical storm overnight Saturday. Officials said there could be some flooding if it arrived at high tide early Sunday.
Across the Atlantic, Britain's meteorological agency issued an alert for strong winds and heavy rain expected Tuesday from the remains of Gonzalo. It warned of the potential for significant disruption of travel and difficult driving conditions.
On Saturday afternoon, Gonzalo was centered 410 miles (660 kilometers) south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) as it moved north-northeast at 36 mph (57 kph).
The storm earlier claimed one life in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten and the hurricane center said it could still whip up dangerous surf on portions of the U.S. coast and Canada.
In Mexico's Pacific region, the brief Tropical Storm Trudy was downgraded to a tropical depression and was over land about 95 miles (150 kilometers) east-northeast of Acapulco and was dumping heavy rains. Maximum sustained winds were 35 mph (55 kph), the hurricane center said.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Ana was carving a path south of Hawaii, producing high waves, strong winds and heavy rains that prompted a flood advisory. The center of the storm was about 215 miles (346 kilometers) southwest of the Big Island and about 150 miles (241 kilometers) from Honolulu, the National Weather Service said.
There was little chance for hurricane conditions on the islands, but a tropical storm watch remained in effect throughout the archipelago and the strongest winds were about 80 mph (129 kph).
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Associated Press writer Josh Ball reported this story in Hamilton, Bermuda, and Danica Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
___
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
The storm's center crossed over Bermuda late Friday and Gonzalo quickly moved northward over the Atlantic on a track that could take it just off the shore of Newfoundland in Canada.
Some 20,000 homes in Bermuda were still without power in the afternoon, but Premier Michael Dunkley said cleanup efforts were going smoothly. He said the U.S., Britain and other nations have offered assistance.
"All hands are on deck," he tweeted. "Bermuda is roaring back!"
Gonzalo approached Bermuda as a Category 3 storm then weakened to Category 2 strength just before coming ashore with sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph). Even after beginning to move away, its fierce winds battered the island for hours.
Maria Frith, who owns Grape Bay Cottages on Bermuda's south coast, said in a phone interview that the hurricane woke her up before dawn when it tore the patio roof off her house.
"To be perfectly honest with you, I was terrified, partly because of the noise," she said. "It was really scary."
Some Bermudians woke up to toppled concrete walls, uprooted palm trees and boats run aground. Gonzalo ripped part of the roof off the island's legislature, the House of Assembly, as well as the roof of an exhibit at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo. The Royal Gazette newspaper quoted principal curator Ian Walker as saying he had to put down a yellow crown night heron that suffered a broken wing.
No catastrophic damage was reported on Bermuda, which has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world and is known for strict building codes meant to ensure homes can withstand sustained winds of at least 110 mph (177 kph).
The last major hurricane to strike Bermuda was Fabian in September 2003. That Category 3 storm killed four people and caused more than $100 million in damage.
The island was still recovering from last weekend's blast from Tropical Storm Fay, which also damaged homes and toppled power lines.
"To be struck twice by two different cyclones is unusual, to say the least," said Max Mayfield, a former director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
A 436-foot (133-meter) frigate of Britain's Royal Navy with a crew of some 180 sailors was expected to arrive Sunday to help with post-storm recovery efforts.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gonzalo weakened as it moved away from Bermuda on a track that would take it past Newfoundland and then across the Atlantic to Britain and Ireland.
Canadian Hurricane Center officials said the storm wasn't expected to be a hurricane as it neared Canadian waters, but there was 30 percent chance it would make landfall as a post-tropical storm overnight Saturday. Officials said there could be some flooding if it arrived at high tide early Sunday.
Across the Atlantic, Britain's meteorological agency issued an alert for strong winds and heavy rain expected Tuesday from the remains of Gonzalo. It warned of the potential for significant disruption of travel and difficult driving conditions.
On Saturday afternoon, Gonzalo was centered 410 miles (660 kilometers) south-southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph) as it moved north-northeast at 36 mph (57 kph).
The storm earlier claimed one life in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten and the hurricane center said it could still whip up dangerous surf on portions of the U.S. coast and Canada.
In Mexico's Pacific region, the brief Tropical Storm Trudy was downgraded to a tropical depression and was over land about 95 miles (150 kilometers) east-northeast of Acapulco and was dumping heavy rains. Maximum sustained winds were 35 mph (55 kph), the hurricane center said.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Ana was carving a path south of Hawaii, producing high waves, strong winds and heavy rains that prompted a flood advisory. The center of the storm was about 215 miles (346 kilometers) southwest of the Big Island and about 150 miles (241 kilometers) from Honolulu, the National Weather Service said.
There was little chance for hurricane conditions on the islands, but a tropical storm watch remained in effect throughout the archipelago and the strongest winds were about 80 mph (129 kph).
___
Associated Press writer Josh Ball reported this story in Hamilton, Bermuda, and Danica Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
___
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
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