Hurricane Fabian slams Bermuda, as Henri weakens over Florida

MIAMI (AFP) Sep 06, 2003
Bermuda residents early Saturday began to cleanup from the ravages of Hurricane Fabian, which unleashed furious winds and dumped heavy rain on the mid-Atlantic British dependency.

However by 5 a.m. (0900 GMT) the worst was over, as the Category 3 hurricane headed out to the open ocean in a north-east direction traveling at 33 kilometers (21 miles) per hour, according to the Miami, Florida-based National Hurricane Center.

At that time the center of Fabian was located some 390 kilometersmiles) northeast of Bermuda, according to the service, with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour. At its height gusts were recorded reaching as much as 213 kilometers (132 miles) an hour.

The hurricane was expected to weaken as it moved over colder water.

The powerful hurricane winds that slammed the island Friday and overnight into early Saturday ripped roofs off buildings and left thousands of people without power, according to television news reports. Many streets were also reportedly impassable because of downed trees and debris.

However there are reports of only a handful of people injured.

At its height, forecasters said that Bermuda experienced a coastal surge flooding two to three meters (six to 10 feet) above normal tide levels, along with large battering waves.

Bermuda's Public Safety Minister, Randy Horton, warned that Fabian could be the worst ever to hit the small island.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Henri weakened into a tropical depression overnight Frida to Saturday as it headed over Florida from the Gulf of Mexico.

At 5 a.m. (0900 GMT) the tropical dpression, which still carried heavy rain, was located about 56 kilometers (35 miles) south-west of St. Petersburg, Florida, on the central Gulf coast of the Florida penninsula.

Heavy rain continued to fall on already saturated soil throughout the region. Isolated tornadoes were still possible in parts of central and north Florida, officials warned.

"We have a lot of tropical moisture that's over us because of that system," said forecaster Bob Ebaugh of the National Weather Service's South Florida office. "The atmosphere is unstable."

Forecasters warned that Henri would linger over the area most of Saturday, dumping even more rain.

"The primary threat with Henri continues to be heavy rainfall and flooding potential," said James Franklin of the National Hurricane Center.

TERRA.WIRE