CNN - Hurricane Bertha bashes Bahamas, heads toward U.S.

Hurricane Bertha bashes Bahamas, heads toward U.S.

Hurricane watch issued for Georgia, Carolinas coast

July 10, 1996
Web posted at: 10:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT)

Hurricane Bertha at 11 a.m. EDT Current satellite image

Max. Sustained Winds: 105 mph (168 km/h)

Location: 70 mi. (110 km) ESE of Great Abaco

Direction/Speed: NW @ 17 mph (28 km/h)

Coordinates: 25.9N, 76.0W

(CNN) -- Hurricane Bertha edged closer to the U.S. east coast after pummeling the Bahamas early Wednesday, knocking down trees and power lines in the 700-island archipelago and drenching it with at least 5 inches of rain.

The U.S. National Weather Service issued hurricane watches from Brunswick, Georgia, and South and North Carolina to the Virginia state line, and a tropical storm warning was in effect from Deerfield Beach, Florida, to Brunswick, Georgia. (Satellite loop - 114K QuickTime movie)

Officials began to evacuate North Carolina's Ocracoke Island and Cape Hatteras, low-lying barrier islands which are expected to feel the effects of the hurricane. Ocracoke, accessible only by ferry, is currently crowded with summer visitors.

State emergency management spokesman Tom Ditt said the goal is to have people out of the danger areas before gale-force winds hit. Emergency officials in other areas along the coast are also discussing evacuation plans. (323K AIFF or WAV sound)
"We have declared a state of emergency there," Ditt said.
By 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Bertha was about 90 miles (144 km) east of Eleuthera Island in the middle of the Bahamas. A hurricane warning remained in effect for the central and western islands in the Bahamas.

The storm was blamed for the deaths of four people in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands before it moved out of the Caribbean, swirled past the Turks and Caicos Islands and headed northwest through the Bahamas with winds of 105 mph (168 kph).

Forecasters expect Bertha to skirt the East Coast anywhere from northern Florida to Delaware, with a possible U.S. landfall later this week. The National Weather Service warned of heavy surf for the southeast U.S. coast over the next day or two as the storm inched closer to the Florida shore.

The National Weather Service said Bertha is moving northwest at 18 mph "and a gradual turn toward the north is expected during the next 12 to 24 hours. But until this occurs, Bertha will move closer to Florida."

"This is the nailbiting time for forecasters," said Hugh Willoughby of the National Hurricane Center. "We're waiting for Bertha to make her turn to the northeast but there's some uncertainty about when it will happen."

"This is the nailbiting time for forecasters. We're waiting for Bertha to make her turn to the northeast but there's some uncertainty about when it will happen."

-- Hugh Willoughby of the National Hurricane Center

In south Florida, residents, battered by Hurricane Andrew four years ago, stocked up at building supply stores and supermarkets even though forecasters said the state would escape the brunt of Bertha.

Bertha grew lethal Tuesday; with winds whipping at 115 mph, it was upgraded it to a Category 3 storm capable of extensive damage.

Coast Guard officers in Puerto Rico were searching for a crippled boat with as many as 42 people aboard. The boat radioed Monday that it was in the eye of the hurricane and passengers were jumping into the water, the Coast Guard said. There was no sign of the boat Tuesday.

Further northwest in the Bahamas, people reinforced their homes, nailing plywood over windows, and stocked up on food and water.

Tourists unwilling to risk the hurricane headed for the airport, which remained open Tuesday afternoon.

News of Bertha's path emptied out San Salvador's marina, usually filled with luxury yachts at this time of year, said Carter Williams, owner of the island's Riding Rock Inn.

In the northeastern Caribbean islands, resident surveyed the debris and damage left in the wake of the raging storm: electricity and telephone poles were uprooted or were hanging at strange angles, tree trunks blocked roads and some homes were shorn of roofs.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Hurricane Bertha at 11 a.m. EDT		Current satellite image
Max. Sustained Winds:	105 mph (168 km/h)
Location:	70 mi. (110 km) ESE of Great Abaco
Direction/Speed:	NW @ 17 mph (28 km/h)
Coordinates:	25.9N, 76.0W

	CNN's Storm Center
Satellite Images Storm File Links Weather Main Page

Hurricane Bertha bashes Bahamas, heads toward U.S.

Hurricane watch issued for Georgia, Carolinas coast

"This is the nailbiting time for forecasters. We're waiting for Bertha to make her turn to the northeast but there's some uncertainty about when it will happen."

CNN's Storm Center

Feedback

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