Large parts of Bermuda plunged into darkness as Hurricane Humberto clips island

HAMILTON, Bermuda, (Reuters) - Hurricane Humberto knocked out power lines in Bermuda last night, plunging half of the Atlantic archipelago into darkness, as the storm whipped the British territory with powerful winds and rain.

Hurricane-force winds were expected to pummel Bermuda last night, the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center said, although the core of Humberto was expected to pass just to the northwest and north of the archipelago.

More than 27,000 homes and businesses had lost electricity by early evening, according to electricity company Belco. Flights were canceled and some residents in the capital, Hamilton, covered windows with wooden planks and metal sheeting.

Bermudan officials warned residents to stay off roads and prepare for possible tornadoes as the hurricane picked up forward speed and weather conditions worsened.

James Dodgson, director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said conditions were already worsening and that winds could reach hurricane strength.

“I can’t even rule out some isolated tornadoes . ... We have a very serious situation as we have a very big hurricane moving by to our north,” he told a news conference.

On Wednesday, the storm’s eye was located to the west of the archipelago, which lies about 650 miles (1,050 km) east of the United States.

The storm packed 120 mile-per-hour (193 kph) winds and picked up speed during the afternoon, moving at 20 mph (31 kph). Humberto was a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, the NHC said.

Bermuda National Disaster Coordinator Steve Cosham warned that the storm could topple trees and rip down power lines, while tornadoes could damage buildings.

Resident Saivo Goater placed boards across the sliding glass doors of his twostory dwelling, remembering back-toback hurricanes in 2014 that ripped off parts of his roof.