Hurricane Florence lashes Bermuda

HURRICANE Florence knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses in Bermuda but was moving away from the wealthy island yesterday as tourists hunkered down inside resort hotels.

The eye of Florence, the second hurricane of the Atlantic season, was churning northwest of Bermuda. It was spared a direct hit by the eye of the storm, but forecasters said hurricane-force winds extending up to 70 miles from the centre could cause substantial damage.

At least 23,000 homes and businesses were without power in the British island chain of 65,000 permanent residents, according to Bermuda’s electric company.

The Category 1 hurricane, which had maximum sustained winds near 90 mph, knocked down trees and utility poles but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. A wind gust of 78 mph was recorded at Bermuda’s airport.

Some people were unfazed by the latest storm to hit the island chain, which has strict building codes to withstand rough weather.

“We’re still serving breakfast and everything is normal,” said Rowena Smith, an employee at The Reefs, a resort on the vulnerable south shore. More than 80 guests stayed to ride out the storm at the hotel.

“We have a lot of repeaters in house, and they’re having fun,” Ms Smith said.

According to the US National Hurricane Center Florence was moving away from Bermuda to the north-northeast at 14 mph and was expected to move away from the US coast with a boost of forward speed.