Schools and offices remained closed in Puerto Rico Wednesday morning as the Caribbean island was battered by torrential rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto. The storm is expected to strengthen over the Atlantic Ocean and become the third hurricane of the season later this morning.
Ernesto is passing north of the U.S. territory, but authorities there are still expecting widespread disruptions, power outages and heavy rains. The Puerto Rican government said 344 shelters were available and public transportation was suspended.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi urged people to stay indoors Tuesday night as forecasts warned of 10 inches of rain in the southeast of the island, with possible landslides and widespread flooding. The storm was about 85 miles north of the capital, San Juan, early Wednesday.
“We are warning tourists and our own people in particular to stay away from the ocean. The conditions at sea, especially in the north and east of Puerto Rico, will be very dangerous,” the governor said.
Ernesto’s maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, the NHC said, not far from the 76 mph needed for a hurricane classification. The NHC said the hurricane will continue to draw strength from the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and “could become a major hurricane within a few days.”
A hurricane warning is in effect for the British Virgin Islands, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra, all of which are popular with tourists.
The storm is expected to pass north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday and reach Bermuda on Saturday.
“I hope it goes away soon,” José RodrÃguez, 36, told The Associated Press as he climbed to the roof of his uncle’s wooden shack in the Afro-Caribbean community of Piñones on Puerto Rico’s northern coast to take over his family’s business selling fried street food.
A dramatic video has been posted on social media showing sailors being rescued from a stranded tugboat off the coast of the island of Sint Maarten, which was battered by high winds and heavy rain on Tuesday.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm in an already exceptionally busy hurricane season.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
