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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Ernesto slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday, dumping heavy rains that left hundreds of thousands of homes without power in the U.S. territory and threatening to strengthen into a major hurricane on its way to Bermuda.
The storm is located about 125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is moving over open water. It has maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and is moving toward the northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).
“While Ernesto may already be a hurricane, radar data do not yet support upgrading it,” National Hurricane Center Said in Miami.
Ernesto is expected to strengthen into a hurricane later Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Warning in Effect Puerto RicoVieques, Culebra, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
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Schools and government offices remained closed on the islands, and severe flooding was reported in several areas, forcing officials to close roads.
“It’s raining hard, really hard,” Culebra Mayor Edilberto Junito Romero said in a telephone interview. “There are trees that have fallen on public roads. There are roofs that have been blown off.”
Ernesto is expected to move through the high seas for the rest of the week, making its closest approach to Bermuda on Saturday. Ernesto is expected to develop into a severe Category 3 storm in the coming days, and forecasters warn of high surf along the U.S. East Coast as Ernesto moves toward the north-northwest in the Atlantic Ocean.
“What that means is that anybody going to the beach, even if it’s a nice, sunny day, it could be dangerous … because of the rip currents,” said Robbie Berg, alert coordination meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.
The United States and the British Virgin Islands are expected to receive 4 to 6 inches of rain, and Puerto Rico will receive 6 to 8 inches of rain, with localized totals of up to 10 inches.
The U.S. Virgin Islands government reported an island-wide power outage on St. Croix and more than 300,000 customers were without electricity in Puerto Rico.
Late Tuesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned residents in two U.S. territories to prepare for “prolonged power outages.”
Luma Energy, which is responsible for transmission and distribution of electricity in Puerto Rico, said early Wednesday that its first priority was to restore power to hospitals, the island’s water and sewerage companies and other essential services.
Puerto Rico’s power grid remains fragile after Category 4 Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, and crews are continuing to rebuild the system.
With a population of 3.2 million and a poverty rate of over 40 percent, not everyone on the island can afford a generator.
“People have their candles ready,” said Lucía Rodríguez, a 31-year-old street vendor.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierrussi announced Tuesday evening that U.S. President Joe Biden has approved his request to use emergency funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to the tropical storm.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
NOAA predicts an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year due to record-high ocean temperatures. It predicts 17 to 25 named storms this year, including four to seven major hurricanes reaching Category 3 or higher.
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