Ernesto is now a hurricane after bringing "significant flooding" to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
Hurricane Ernesto is headed toward Bermuda after leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power across Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as a tropical storm. Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center said, and is churning with 80 mph winds as forecasters expect it to even strengthen more in the coming days.
The storm developed just days after Debby finished its trek along the U.S. East Coast, where it left at least eight people dead, including children, as a Category 1 hurricane-turned-tropical storm.
According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, more than 28,000 people in the Virgin Islands were without power Wednesday night, down from a peak of about 46,000 earlier in the day, which included everyone on the island of St. Croix and nearly everyone on the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. As of Wednesday night, more than 873,000 customers in Puerto Rico were also without power, according to island energy provider LUMA Energy, which accounts for more than half off all customers on the island.
Ernesto, currently moving at about 16 mph, is expected to continue strengthening in the coming days. The Miami-based hurricane center predicted earlier Wednesday that it could become a major hurricane, which is when a storm reaches Category 3, with winds of 111 mph or higher.
The Miami-based hurricane center said in its latest update that the center of Ernesto was expected to pass near Bermuda on Saturday, and was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane by Friday. A hurricane watch has been issued for Bermuda.
Rivers across Puerto Rico were swollen after nearly 10 inches of rain. At least 20 Puerto Rico hospitals were operating on generators, while all schools were closed. There were road closures across the island due to downed trees and power lines.
In Manatí, emergency workers rescued three people, including an elderly couple trapped by floodwaters. They used ropes and a stretcher to carry them up a steep hill to safety.
Officials were forced to open flood gates at a dam along the La Plata River. Sirens warned residents in nearby municipality of Toa Baja to evacuate their homes in case of flooding.
Some came to shelters, where CBS News spoke with Yesenia Adorno, who fled to the shelter with her dogs after the water started to rise behind her home.
"I am afraid and I don't know where to go with my little dog," Adorno said.
Puerto Rico's power grid was wiped out by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which slammed the island as a strong category 4 storm. It took nearly a year to restore power to all residents. Today, the island's electric company faced a major test
"The government today is much better prepared," said Juan Saca, president and CEO of LUMA Energy. "…We have a plan that you can go into our website and take a look at the plan."
President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, the White House said Tuesday night, authorizing FEMA to help with storm recovery.
Ernesto remained a tropical storm through most of Tuesday morning, reaching hurricane status once its winds reached the minimum 74 mph for classification, as measured by the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. This scale does not account for a storm's size, speed, precipitation or storm surge, all of which pose additional dangers.
CBS News senior weather and climate producer David Parkinson said Wednesday that even though Ernesto is dozens of miles away from Puerto Rico, its back end "is still hammering the island with torrential downpours."
The hurricane center said the storm is expected to produce between 4 and 6 inches of rain over the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and up to 10 inches across southeastern Puerto Rico. Parkinson noted Wednesday morning that more than half a foot of rain has already fallen in Culebra and Vieques "with another inch or two to go."
That amount of precipitation is causing rivers to overflow. Puerto Rico's Rio Grande de Loiza "may spill out of its banks" in the next few hours, Parkinson said, while elsewhere on the island, "Rio Blanco's gauge went parabolic this morning, going from 6 to 16 feet in less than 90 minutes."
"The positive news is that the river has fallen nearly as quickly as it has risen, and is down to 10 feet," Parkinson said. "That will likely be the story all across the island. The rivers won't stay above flood stage for very long, but they will cause brief major flooding."
Flash flooding and mudslides could occur in the U.S. territories, the hurricane center said, as Ernesto continues bring "ongoing heavy rains."
While the U.S. mainland is largely outside of the risk zone for Ernesto, Parkinson said that it could bring rip currents and larger waves to the coast. The northeast, he said, could see 8-foot waves over the weekend and the Carolinas — still recovering from Tropical Storm Debby — could see a swell build starting tomorrow.
NOAA forecasters issued a similar warning, saying that "beach goers should be aware of a significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, and stay out of the water if advised by lifeguards."
Ernesto marks the fifth named storm so far of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has already proven to be historic after Beryl reached record strength at the beginning of the season in above-average temperatures of the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA has predicted an above-normal season, with 17-25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes, and four to seven major hurricanes.
The fifth-named storm typically doesn't form until Aug. 22, according to NOAA.
