Brace for Hurricane Ernesto’s wrath as storm brings ‘life threatening’ currents to East Coast & knocks out power to 700k

EAST Coast residents have been warned to watch out for dangerous currents and ocean swells coming this week after Hurricane Ernesto plunged hundreds of thousands of people into darkness.

Even before the storm reached its maximum strength, its wind and rain knocked power out for about half of the residents of Puerto Rico early on Wednesday.

AFP

AFP

AFP

NOAA/National Hurricane Center

The US territory’s biggest electricity provider, Luma Energy , reported that more than 700,000 of its nearly 1.5 million customers were without power as of Wednesday afternoon.

Two smaller islands closer to the East Coast — Culebra and Vieques —are experiencing near-total blackouts .

The storm was elevated to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday morning as it picked up power and speed in the Atlantic.

The extreme weather has already crossed over the US and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and several smaller islands bringing torrential rain, dangerous currents, and violent winds that left some areas in near-total blackouts.

The hurricane clocked sustained wind speeds of 75 mph by 2 pm, dumping ten inches of rain in some areas and prompting extreme weather alerts in others.

“I know it was a long night listening to that wind howl,” U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. said in a news conference earlier in the day.

The National Hurricane Center has warned East Coast residents that Hurricane Ernesto may bring “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” up and down the coast this week.

Bermuda is currently under a hurricane watch while the danger has passed for Puerto Rico and neighboring islands.

Meteorologists expect the storm to continue on a northwesterly path from Bermuda but have asked people to watch for updates as the storm could change trajectory at any time.

BLACKOUTS ARE BACK

Puerto Rico’s electrical grid has been vulnerable since the island took a head-on hit by Hurricane Maria as a Category 4 storm in 2017.

The catastrophic storm killed thousands of people and prevented hundreds of thousands of islanders from accessing electricity or running water for several months.

The island still has not recovered from much of the damage.

When Hurricane Fiona struck the island as a Category 1 hurricane in 2022, it again knocked much of the power grid offline too.

“It’s disappointing and it’s concerning that the grid is down again, given that this is just a tropical storm,” Charlotte Gossett Navarro, Puerto Rico chief director for the energy nonprofit Hispanic Federation, told The Washington Post .

HURRICANE ERNESTO WARNING

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has advised residents on the East Coast to watch out for several live threatening conditions, including:

• Strong currents
• Flash flooding
• Rip tides
• Large swells
• Mudslides
• High winds

Find more information at NOAA.gov .

Officials said they are particularly concerned about mudslides and flash floods that can catch people off-guard.

President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration on Wednesday, opening up assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the US territory.

AN ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON

Hurricane Ernesto is the fifth named storm of the 2024 hurricane season, which historically begins on June 1 and runs until November 30.

Experts predict that this year may have more intense weather than usual due to warmer ocean temperatures combined with the effects of La Niña conditions.

Other storms this season have included Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl, Tropical Storm Chris, and Hurricane Debby.

East Coast residents can see the latest updates and expected trajectory of Hurricane Ernesto at NOAA.gov .

AFP

AFP