Ernesto Becomes Hurricane After Devastating Caribbean, Power Outages Widespread

Hurricane Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane after unleashing torrential rains on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, leading to widespread power outages and severe flooding. In Puerto Rico, nearly half of the island’s residents lost power, and significant damage was reported, including downed trees and disrupted flights. St. John and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands experienced island-wide blackouts, and communication towers were knocked offline. As Ernesto moves through open waters, it is expected to intensify further, potentially becoming a major Category 3 storm before approaching Bermuda later in the week. Residents in Bermuda are urged to prepare for worsening conditions. The storm is also expected to create dangerous rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, posing a risk to beachgoers.

Puerto Rico’s already fragile power grid, devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, struggled to cope with the storm, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in the region. With the Atlantic hurricane season expected to be more active than usual due to record ocean temperatures, Ernesto is the fifth named storm, signaling a potentially severe season ahead.