ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Oct. 14, 2014, CNS – Hurricane Gonzalo formed in the Caribbean and was spinning early Tuesday on course to move out over open ocean after pounding Antigua and nearby islands with heavy rain and dangerous wind.
Gonzalo passed near Antigua as a tropical storm, tearing roofs from people's homes and knocking down trees, then gathered enough force near St. Martin and Anguilla to be reclassified as a hurricane.
The centre of the strengthening hurricane was on track to pass northeast of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It was not expected to reach the U.S. mainland but forecasters said it could develop into a major hurricane over open ocean and pose a threat to Bermuda later in the week.
Airports, government offices and school were shuttered in the British Virgin Islands as strengthening Gonzalo steamed toward the tiny territory of roughly 30,000 residents. Premier Orlando Smith called on people to secure their homes and businesses.
In the three-island territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the international airport on St. Thomas shuttered at 7:00 pm after airlines cancelled flights. All seaports were closed.
For several hours on Monday, heavy rain and strong winds lashed Antigua, which bore the brunt of the storm as it cut through the northern Leeward Islands. Downed trees blocked many and many people lost power or reported that the storm damaged, or in some cases destroyed, the roofs their homes.
Gonzalo is expected to produce up to 20 centimetres of rain across the Leeward Islands, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
CNS/db/2014
