Hurricane "Ernesto" cut power, toppled trees and flooded some areas of Bermuda last night, but the British island territory appeared to have suffered no major property damage and no serious injuries, Reuters reported, citing officials and initial assessments.
The Category 1 storm brought powerful winds and a 10-meter swell at sea, knocking out power to 71 percent of the territory's 36,000 total subscribers, officials said.
"I'm happy to report that there have been no calls for significant casualties or property damage, and those calls we've received in the last six hours or so have been mostly about flooding,'' said risk management officer Lyndon Rayner.
About 150mm of rain has fallen so far and the tail end of the storm is expected to bring more rain, said Michelle Pitcher, director of the Bermuda Weather Service.
The US National Weather Service said the hurricane was moving to the north-northeast. The center of the storm is expected to approach southeastern Newfoundland in Canada late tomorrow evening, the US weather service added.
The maximum wind speed is 120 kilometers per hour and it is expected to remain at that speed for another 48 hours, after which it should weaken, the US weather service also said.