Hurricane Ernesto hit the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Hundreds of thousands of homes and business buildings were left without power. Flooding ensued.
Ernesto was 225 miles (365 kilometers) northwest of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan when it made landfall Wednesday evening local time. It was packing sustained winds of about 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. By Thursday morning, the storm had passed the island.
Many power lines were downed, mostly by fallen trees that also fell onto roads. Puerto Rico's main electricity provider reported that more than 725,000 of its roughly 1.5 million customers were without power.
Hurricane Ernesto hits Puerto RicoReuters
Heavy rainfall flooded many homes, caused numerous floods and flash floods. A bridge over the La Plata River was washed away and damaged. There was also much damage to agriculture.
Hurricane Ernesto hits Puerto RicoReuters
Bermuda on the road
The hurricane is moving north. It is expected to reach the Bermuda archipelago on Saturday, where heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts are also forecast.
Location and Forecast Track of Hurricane ErnestoNHC
In early August, a category one hurricane Debby hit the southeastern part of the United States, causing several deaths.
Main image source: Reuters