Web desk
Hurricane Imelda, packing sustained winds of up to 100 mph, is moving toward Bermuda and expected to pass near or over the island late tonight or early tomorrow. In anticipation, schools, government offices and the international airport have been closed, while residents brace for fierce winds, heavy rain and dangerous coastal flooding.
Imelda was located about 340 miles southwest of Bermuda, moving northeast at 20 mph.
Nearly 1,000 homes have already lost power, with rainfall forecasts of up to 4 inches and storm surges threatening low-lying areas.
In Cuba, the storm triggered deadly flooding that killed two people and forced around 18,000 evacuations.
In Haiti, one person is missing and two others were injured amid flooding.
Hurricane Humberto, another system in the Atlantic, has been interacting with Imelda, creating massive swells and rip currents along the Caribbean and U.S. East Coast.
Officials warned the public that this is not a “quick burst of wind” but a long-lasting and dangerous storm.
Meteorologists noted the “Fujiwhara effect,” where two storms orbit each other, possibly altering their strength and paths.
Imelda is the fourth Atlantic hurricane of the season, which forecasters had already predicted would be “above average” with as many as 18 named storms.
So far, the U.S. mainland has escaped landfall, marking the first time in a decade no hurricanes have struck by late September.
Bermuda, though experienced in facing powerful storms, has been urged to prepare for prolonged impacts this time.
