Bertha advances toward Bahamas
Emergency agency prepares for storm's aftermath
July 9, 1996
Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT)WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hurricane Bertha continued to churn through the Caribbean toward the Bahamas Tuesday with 115 mph winds, and officials warned residents on the U.S. East Coast to prepare for a possible strike later this week.
"The projection is in three days we could potentially have this storm, Bertha, hitting in the area of (North Carolina's) Outer Banks," said James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service in Miami said that the storm was expected to turn further northward, diminishing the chances for a Florida strike.
Witt said that his office was contacting officials in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina to check on their emergency preparedness.
He warned residents to take hurricane warnings seriously. (256K AIFF or WAV sound)
"Potentially it could cost them their lives if they do not," he said.
Witt said FEMA was offering assistance to the U.S. Virgin Islands, which took a direct hit Monday from the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.
"They have quite a few people in shelters in St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. Johns who will need food and water because the power is off," Witt said.
Gov. Roy L. Schneider has requested that the territory be declared a disaster area if needed, Witt said. The request will be considered when preliminary damage reports are completed Wednesday.
Puerto Rico suffered less damage than anticipated, the director said, and has told the agency it can handle cleanup efforts without FEMA assistance.
Hurricane Bertha at 8 a.m. EDT Current satellite image Max. Sustained Winds: 105 mph (175 km/h) Location: 55 mi. (88 km) E of Eleuthera Direction/Speed: NW @ 18 mph (30 km/h) Coordinates: 25.4N, 75.4W Storm upgraded to Category 3
Bertha was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane (on a scale of 5) Monday night as its winds swelled to 115 mph. Such storms are capable of extensive damage.
After passing to the north of Puerto Rico, the storm turned to the northwest and aimed for the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, where hurricane warnings were in effect.
"This is a huge storm," said Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jerry Jarrell.
Turks Island resident Kirsty Keen said Tuesday morning that "very gusty" winds on the island had taken down some trees. (128K AIFF or WAV sound) She said residents were moving further inland to escape the storm. The storm passed north of Turks at mid-day.
At 2 p.m. EDT, Bertha was located 75 miles (125 km) north of Turks Island, moving northwest at a rapid 20 mph (32 km/h). Hurricane warnings and watches were discontinued for the Dominican Republic, but a watch remained in effect for the northwest Bahamas.
Bertha's winds were clocked at 100 mph Monday when the storm raked over a string of northeastern Caribbean islands that were hard hit last year by hurricanes Luis and Marilyn. Much of the area, including the Virgin Islands, had not yet fully recovered from the back-to-back storms that struck within days of each other.
The storm has claimed at least four lives: two surfers were killed and two men died in a car accident attributed to the inclement conditions.
The Coast Guard was searching for a boat reported to be in the eye of the hurricane with more than 40 people aboard.
"We have searched for miles, and we have still not found anything," said Coast Guard spokesman Dennis Uhlenhopp. (160K AIFF or WAV sound)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CNN's Storm Center
FeedbackSend us your comments.Selected responses are posted daily. |
|
![[Imagemap]](/WORLD/images/9601/navbar2.gif){kind=small}
Copyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
