Florence strikes

8am on the top floor of the LPG building, Bermudiana Road. Slept reasonably well last night - we found ourselves a windowless office in the middle of the building and couldn't hear what was going on outside at all. Wind is very strong now - the trees in Par-La-Ville park are really bending and the plate glass windows along the east side of the office are flexing alarmingly. They all held up during Fabian, though, so we're not too concerned about any of them breaking. There's not too much rain at the moment, and we can still see clear across the harbour.

Mandy spoke to her parents earlier, who are riding out the storm at our house in St. George's. Apparently everything is fine there - no loss of power or significant damage. Our only concern is that one of our cats - appropriately enough, the one named "Stormy" - is still missing. Before we left home yesterday we spent some time looking for him and yelling his name. We didn't find him, but under the circumstances, anyone who heard us must have thought we were mad. "Stormy! Stormy!"

8.20am: We're keeping an eye on one palm tree in Par-La-Ville park, which is bending to the north-east, suggesting the wind is now coming from the south-west. That would seem to indicate that the hurricane is already to the north-west of us.

8.45am: I spoke too soon. Apparently the electricity has just gone out at our house in St. George's.

9.15am: Just been down onto Bermudiana Road to see what's happening. The buildings must be sheltering it from the worst of the storm because it wasn't particularly windy down there and there was no debris on the road beyond a few leaves. A blown-over scooter was the only sign of damage (who leaves their scooter parked in the middle of the road during a hurricane?). Par-La-Ville park is still looking fine too: I can't see so much as a fallen branch, let alone any downed trees. I've posted some more photos here.

10.30am: Florence supposedly passed its closest point of approach half an hour ago. At 10am the airport was measuring wind speeds of 49 knots, gusting to 64 knots. That's not even hurricane strength.

I'm sitting near one of the large windows on the eastern side of our office and although there's a screen and a heavy wooden-slatted blind between me and the glass (just in case!) I can feel the pressure change whenever there's a particularly strong gust. Overall, however, things are not looking or sounding too bad and visibility is still good. Apparently the back half of the storm is not as strong as the front half, so I'm confident that we'll be able to get back across the Causeway to St. George's by this evening.

10.45am: Seems that everything is status quo up at our house in St. George's. The power is still out, but (unlike Fabian) no water has been coming in through the windows and there are no visible signs of damage to any buildings in the Penno's Wharf area.

10.55am: The airport is reporting winds of 57 knots, gusting to 72.

12.30pm: The Emergency Measures Organisation is meeting at 2pm to assess the situation.

2.15pm: The wind seems to be easing slightly here in Hamilton, although the rain is coming down heavier now and I can no longer see Harbour Road. I've heard that a gust of 110 knots was recorded at one of the higher weather observation towers, and that around 27,000 people are without power. Power 95 is reporting that Orange Valley is impassable. The meeting of the EMO has been pushed back to 4pm. The radio is also reporting a couple of breaking and enterings by scumbags seeking to exploit the storm.

2.50pm: I've just been out on the balcony at the office and taken this video of Par-La-Ville car park and park:

3pm: Just tried to get out on the balcony on the Bermudiana Road side of the building, but it's still pretty blustery out there!

4pm: Just got back from a stroll around Hamilton. There are a lot of leaves on the roads, and some small branches, but overall damage is pretty minor. Some of the panels have come off the Craig Appin Building, and the newly renovated Esso station on the corner of Par-La-Ville Road and Church Street has lost one of its signs. The traffic lights at the junction of Burnaby Hill and Front Street have stopped working and the Birdcage has lost its roof. There also appears to have been some damage to the roof of the old Triminghams building on Front Street, although as this will probably pulled down soon I doubt that HSBC are too upset about that. More photos here.

Comments

[Sean on 11.09.06 at 08:53]

Good luck...I am eagerly keeping up with this from London.

[stefan on 11.09.06 at 08:53]

8.50am, We live along the Cut in St George. A powerline came down in our back yard, but we still got power in our house (so I can type this). The wind is still blowing from the same direction as it did all night, south/south eastish--kind of parallel to Cut Road. You can see the waves and the sheets of rain being driven pretty much along the same path the cruise ships take when they come in.
I can see across the harbour, the houses there are taking a beating.

[Sean on 11.09.06 at 09:01]

Any roofs ripped up at this point? How long do you think it will take to pass over?

[stefan on 11.09.06 at 09:28]

Not in St George, as far as I can see.
I think Bermudian houses are pretty sturdy, and can withstand hurricanes such as Florence (for a start there are no roof tiles that can fly off).
I wonder what damage Florence would have done if, instead of Bermuda, it had hit back home in England...

[Sean on 11.09.06 at 09:34]

Glad to here it's not too bad over there.
It's bad enough here when there's a dusting of snow in the winter...absolute choas on rail and motorways...don't want to think what hurricane strength winds would do although had them in 87 or 88.

[Steve Moffat on 11.09.06 at 09:39]

Powers been out in Sandys since 6:30 am. On generator now.

Webcams still up however, http://www.optimum.bm

username - weather
password - watcher

S

[John G.......... on 11.09.06 at 09:54]

I'm following this from Halifax. Can't seem to connect to any on-line radio from BDA. Anyone got a link? Thanks.
John G.................

[MLW on 11.09.06 at 09:57]

Check out crownweather--some good info:

http://crownweather.com/tropical.html

From that site:

Monday, September 11, 2006
Monday Morning Florence & TD 7 Discussion

There are two systems I am going to discuss this morning: Hurricane Florence and newly designated Tropical Depression #7. So, lets get right into it:

Florence weakened a bit overnight after peaking yesterday at 90 mph. Max winds early this morning were right around 80 mph. I expect Florence to remain nearly steady in strength today before weakening and transitioning into a extratropical storm beginning on Tuesday.

The Hurricane Track Models continue to diverge quite a bit with this forecast package. Some of the models continue to track Florence north and northeastward to southeastern Newfoundland on Wednesday, while some of the other models turn Florence due east out to sea. The ECMWF model continues to forecast Florence to come ashore in eastern Newfoundland on Wednesday night.

I expect Florence to make her closest approach to Bermuda this morning bringing near hurricane force winds to the island this morning into this afternoon. After passing Bermuda, my thinking is for a track that is a compromise between the ECMWF and GFDL model. This type of track would take Florence over southeastern Newfoundland on Wednesday. This type of track will spare Nova Scotia from a significant impact, but Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island could be significantly impacted by this storm on Wednesday. Those of you in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island should pay very close attention to the latest track forecasts with this storm and start preparing for very stormy weather on Wednesday.

NT41 KNHC 110857
TCDAT1
HURRICANE FLORENCE DISCUSSION NUMBER 31
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062006
500 AM EDT MON SEP 11 2006

A RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT JUST FINISHED ONE COMPLETE PATTERN IN
FLORENCE...AND THE MAXIMUM FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS WERE 73 KT IN THE
NORTHEAST QUADRANT. THIS IS DOWN FROM THE 86 KT FOUND ON THE
PREVIOUS MISSION. THE CREW ALSO REPORTED THAT THE EYEWALL HAD
ERODED...WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH IMAGES FROM THE BERMUDA RADAR.
ALTHOUGH THE PRESSURE IS HOLDING STEADY...IT APPEARS THAT THE WIND
FIELD HAS EXPANDED SOMEWHAT...AND THE ADVISORY INTENSITY IS LOWERED
TO 70 KT. ALTHOUGH CONVECTION HAS INCREASED DURING THE PAST FEW
HOURS...THE BROADENING OF THE WIND FIELD SUGGESTS THAT THERE WILL
BE NO MAJOR CHANGES IN INTENSITY BEFORE FLORENCE MOVES AWAY FROM
BERMUDA. AFTER ABOUT 24-36 HOURS...SOUTHWESTERLY SHEAR WILL
INCREASE SHARPLY AND FLORENCE WILL BE MOVING OVER MUCH COOLER
WATERS. HOWEVER...BAROCLINIC INTERACTION WITH A SHORT WAVE IN THE
WESTERLIES IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE NEW ENERGY TO FLORENCE AS IT
BECOMES EXTRATROPICAL AFTER 48 HOURS...WHICH WILL SLOW THE
WEAKENING PROCESS AND RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF THE WIND
FIELD.

FLORENCE HAS BEGUN ITS RECURVATURE...WITH AN INITIAL MOTION OF
010/10. ALTHOUGH THE CENTER OF FLORENCE WILL PASS WELL TO THE WEST
OF BERMUDA...THE RADIUS OF MAXIMUM WINDS EAST OF THE CENTER WILL BE
VERY CLOSE TO THE ISLAND. THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE
FORECAST TRACK. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST IS ADJUSTED A LITTLE TO THE
WEST TO BE IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE GLOBAL MODEL CONSENSUS AND
THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN. THE GFS CONTROL RUN IS AN OUTLIER WITH A
FASTER EASTWARD MOTION...BUT INTERESTINGLY...THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN
IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE REST OF THE GUIDANCE.


FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INITIAL 11/0900Z 31.8N 66.0W 70 KT
12HR VT 11/1800Z 33.6N 65.6W 70 KT
24HR VT 12/0600Z 36.0N 64.5W 70 KT
36HR VT 12/1800Z 38.5N 62.5W 65 KT
48HR VT 13/0600Z 41.5N 60.0W 60 KT
72HR VT 14/0600Z 46.5N 50.5W 55 KT...EXTRATROPICAL
96HR VT 15/0600Z 50.0N 35.0W 50 KT...EXTRATROPICAL
120HR VT 16/0600Z...ABSORBED WITHIN EXTRATROPICAL LOW

$$
FORECASTER FRANKLIN

[Smiffy on 11.09.06 at 10:02]

09.55 St Georges Old Town: Power still on. Pretty wild outside. Wind from south as Florence gets as close as it will get. Palm trees are still displaying remarkable flexibility. Kids are suffering from cabin fever. House is now shuddering in some very high gusts, this as as bad as it's been so far.

[Sean on 11.09.06 at 10:05]

Hey John G, check your email...Sean.

[Onion4evaaaa on 11.09.06 at 10:06]

In Devonshire here. All seems fairly okay really...just very heavy winds.

Does anyone know if there has been any major damage?

[Sue on 11.09.06 at 10:23]

Following from Philly.....my prayers are with you all in Bermuda. I hope this "F" named hurricane is nothing like the last "F" named one! Be safe!

[John G.......... on 11.09.06 at 10:29]

Sean: I think our external e-m server (at BF & M) is down. Will chat later.
John G................

[Sean on 11.09.06 at 10:36]

John G: Will listen out mate.

[Smiffy on 11.09.06 at 11:15]

11.00 must be height of storm now. House is taking a real pounding. Strong smell of wet vegitation outside, leaves blasted against walls. Just about see harbour, not a jet-skier or cruise ship in sight! Still have power, kids happy to hit DVD collection.

[Smiffy on 11.09.06 at 11:17]

11.00 must be height of storm now. House is taking a real pounding. Strong smell of wet vegitation outside, leaves blasted against walls. Just about see harbour, not a jet-skier or cruise ship in sight! Still have power, kids happy to hit DVD collection.

[Steve Moffat on 11.09.06 at 11:39]

I have comprehensive and up to date weather info on my site, just follow the current weather link on the main page....after the flash intro.

http://www.optimum.bm

[Simon on 11.09.06 at 11:44]

Any news of damage at the airport? I am flying in tomorrow night (supposed to be on Sunday's flight) but more importantly my car is there and I remember the scenes of devastation there after Fabian!

[Simon on 11.09.06 at 12:02]

Just called my house sitter. No damamge to the house (Sound View Raod) but power went off around 9.30. Hopefully I can get home in the window between Florence passing and then the next one coming past on Saturday!!!!

[The Limey on 11.09.06 at 12:54]

TypePad, the blogging service that hosts this site, is experiencing difficulties. As a result, you may find it difficult or impossible to leave comments.

Of all the days for them to have a problem!

[The Limey on 11.09.06 at 12:56]

Well, that comment went up first time, and I can now get back in to administer the site. So hopefully they have fixed the problem.

[wyrdsister on 11.09.06 at 13:20]

" anyone who heard us must have thought we were mad. "Stormy! Stormy!""

don't feel too bad, the kids and I were on a similar mission to find our cat "SUNNY". The neighbours came out too have look.

[kristen on 11.09.06 at 13:31]

thanks for the updates everyone. glad to know that the family are all most likely okay...... i'm sure they're gonna call any minute now to let me know and stop all the worrying i've been doing since 6am UK time !

[Danielle on 11.09.06 at 13:35]

Another one on Saturday???? My sister flew into Bermuda on Saturday and staying with a friend. My son is suppose to fly in this coming Friday and joining her. What is this about another one on Saturday???

[mariadonna74 on 11.09.06 at 13:36]

hoping everyone okay...
please update us on "stormy" and "sunny" when you can.

thanks!

[Paradise Found on 11.09.06 at 13:37]

Spanish Point has been hit hard in the last hour - since about 1230pm the wind has been gusting hard and the rain lashing. Nothing broken yet, though, and I still have power. The wind seems to be easing off as I type...

[mariadonna 74 on 11.09.06 at 13:44]

any more info on sandys/somerset?

especially near scaur hill...

thanks so much!

a new yorker who didn't want another reason to be sad on september 11th!

[Martin on 11.09.06 at 13:45]

Danielle,

There is another storm out there - calling "Seven" at the moment.

Go to this link to see.

http://www.sharkoil.bm/

[Danielle on 11.09.06 at 13:52]

Thanks for the information. My sister is staying with Andrew Card, just the other side of the Somerset Bridge, anyone from around that area? My sister landed Saturday around noon and was excited about the hurricane, wonder if she still feels that way. As I said my son is joining her at Andrew's this coming Friday and he has never been to Bermuda, and never flown!

[SmokingGun on 11.09.06 at 13:58]

After the strikes by Emily and then Fabian I think most of the damage was done to the old and weak stuff. Hopefully Florence will not leave behind too much damage in her wake. However a double whammy could be a real pain. Sincerely hope everyone have been safe and sound throughout this one. And the pet animals make it home after.

BTW Limey - safe to assume the other's name is Dark?

[The Limey on 11.09.06 at 14:27]

Michael Branco has more photos and videos of the storm up on his website.

SmokingGun

BTW Limey - safe to assume the other's name is Dark?

Yes he is! Our third cat is called "Black" (because he's all black, natch). No prizes for what we'll call a fourth cat should we ever get one!

[Danielle on 11.09.06 at 14:28]

mmm Dark and Stormy - brings back memories of my visit to Bermuda! Yes I hope you find Stormy soon!

[Adjustah on 11.09.06 at 14:55]

Back up and running...BELCO I could kiss you...

[loki on 11.09.06 at 15:01]

Our power went off an 9.30am and came back on at 2pm. Unbelievable response by BELCO, as usual.

[JJ on 11.09.06 at 15:05]

just got the lecky back too on Harrington Sound Smiths.

[Sanman62 on 11.09.06 at 15:13]

I've been riding the strom out at work on Jardine Street. Got brave and went for a walk down to front street around 10:15 AM this morning, wind was crazy but there was little rain. We haven't lost any power in here but talking to everyone on the radio and power outages are every where.

[Phillip's Mum on 11.09.06 at 15:14]

I wish I had thought of using screen catcher this morning when we were talking to Phillip via his office web-cam. There he was at 7-45am sat in his office with tousled hair and in his pyjamas! Now that would have raised a smile on his Hurricane Florence photos!!!!!

[SmokingGun on 11.09.06 at 15:19]

Limey - I think pajamas may be a little too casual for the office. Unless you've dressed them up with a fluffy pair of bunny slippers. ;-)

[Martin on 11.09.06 at 15:19]

Phillip's Mum...

I bet you $20...Phil removes that comment before the day is out!

[Phillip's Mum on 11.09.06 at 15:24]

Martin you're on! It won't be the first time my comments have been removed. Shocking is n't it?

[SmokingGun on 11.09.06 at 15:35]

Mum - anyway you could download a pic? I'll be happy to cover your twenty for that. ;-)

[Amin Swan on 11.09.06 at 16:10]

Thanks for the info and pictures Phil, I'm in Chicago and can't get in contact with my family. But glad that it wasn't no where near a "Fabian"

[Floating on 11.09.06 at 16:12]

16:00 Had a wander around Fairylands. Calming down a bit. Seems that power is out to the whole area. Lots of generators running. No real damage anywhere, just general mess. A couple of downed trees, but nothing big. Seem to have gotten off quite lightly overall.

My boat is fine as are most of my friends. Seems that somebody out on the water is having a bit of trouble & trying to get help from Harbour Radio. I can only hear one side of the conversation though, so no where near me.

[Danielle on 11.09.06 at 16:23]

Not long after I posted my last comment I called my sister at Andrew's in Bermuda. They seemed to be having a fine time, watching the last few episodes on dvd of the show 24 and of course having a drink. When I told Andrew about the next possible storm Seven, he laughed and said "oh just tell Robert (my son) that he will have a place to stay in when he arrives here on Friday, lol.

[mariadonna74 on 11.09.06 at 16:34]

my friend's fine too! (near scaur hill)...

just a car windshield blew out ...other than that...power out...but, phone working and by the time i write this...power may be back too...

thanks for this blog.

[Martin on 11.09.06 at 17:04]

Well - life back to normal at Smiths.

Just been for a short walk, quite a few cars out and about, and nice in the sunshine.

Kept the power too apart from 20 minutes loss.

[Triforce on 11.09.06 at 17:13]

Glad to hear everyone's making out well. Power's still out in 4helley Bay. Darn Smiths ppl getting the breaks hehe. Am curious to see what happens with this next storm to our south.

[ian on 11.09.06 at 17:37]

My wife and I just returned last week from two great weeks in Bermuda "vacationing", visting friends, etc. The weather was perfect and Florence was but a wee spot on the radar. Having suffered through Hurricane Wilma in the Yucatan (south of Cancun) last year, we hoped and prayed that you didn't have to experience another Fabian. Simply put, hurricanes suck (blow?). It appears that Bermuda has escaped relatively unscathed (thus far) and we hope that none of you suffered any property damage or worse. Best wishes from Western Canada!

[The Limey's Mother-in-Law on 11.09.06 at 18:01]

The Limey would like you to know that the causeway is still closed and that it is now being inspected by structural engineers. They have found some damage but have not been able to determine it's severity therefore the causeway remains closed. Phil and Mandy are at Grotto Bay side waiting for more news.

[ace on 11.09.06 at 18:11]

Power restored at my place in Warwick at 6.00pm, it's been off since 6.00am when a large boom was heard and a big flash.

Belco, thank you!!! My wife thanks you and my 3 kids in particular thank you.

My sanity thanks you.

[shipwreckedcanuk on 11.09.06 at 19:15]

We got power back here at around 6:50pm- Ord Road between Paget Primary and Harvey Road.

A couple of trees that barely made it through Fabian threw in the towel, but other than that very little damage- just the usual leaves and branches.

We have about 100-200 million billion unripe avocados in bags (along with all our neighbours). Anyone thinking we should have an island guacamolie making competion?

All and all, not bad at all- now lets just see what happens with Gordon...

[RedOnion on 11.09.06 at 19:49]

Bermuda Sun email edition has just reported that the Causeway was due to be opened at 7:30 this evening with a 50 foot section under traffic light control due to damage.

[Jamaican Q on 11.09.06 at 22:40]

Glad to see that all is now well in Bermuda! The people at my job asked me if I was Bermudian or what....I had just about every single webcam available to view the storm running in the office. I was hooked on this site all day (when the boss wasn't looking)staying tuned for articles, pics, videos etc! Is the island open for business tomorrow or what?

[The Limey on 11.09.06 at 22:55]

Stormy finally turned up this evening - safe and well, albeit very hungry!

[DanielleEP on 11.09.06 at 23:59]

Glad to hear "Stormy" is back and okay :-). Keep him and Dark and Black close to you on Friday before Gordon comes around!

[DanielleEP on 12.09.06 at 00:06]

Looks like "Gordon" is not going to hit Bermuda if the "path" they are now predicting holds. Good news!

[Jimmy John on 12.09.06 at 00:18]

Good to hear everyone is safe! God bless from the east coast of the USA!

[stuart J Hayward on 12.09.06 at 00:55]

Lost power 10:10 am on Monday.
Just got it back 12:30 am on Tuesday.
Glad I can now open the fridge door.

[Jill Day on 12.09.06 at 03:35]

Have been watching you from Cobham in Surrey...husband and daughter, Alan and Lizzy, are in Warwick.
Thank you for all your efforts to keep everyone in touch with the action. All the little details mean a lot. Photos are very reassuring. Have you seen Triangle Diving and the jetty at Grotto Bay?
Thanks for all your efforts.

[selkieman on 12.09.06 at 04:21]

Morning everybody.

Glad to hear that everyone's fine, and got thru it safely. Limey, thanks for LIB during this. Not only did it help those of us off the rock feel part of what is going on, but it gave me loads to talk about with the MIL when she was at home alone - (and thank God for Skype, otherwise the phone bill would have been hellish).

[Martin on 12.09.06 at 07:43]

The Sharkoil tracking of Gordon looks promising.

Yesterday it was going to pass at 150kms from the Island.

Today, they are suggesting 350kms to be the closest point on Friday.

[Simon on 12.09.06 at 09:36]

Martin, the closest point stated is in the next 72 hours so there is nothing to say it wont be closer on Saturday.

[polixenes on 12.09.06 at 10:34]

Still no power at home (near Gibbs Hill Lighthouse) when I left for work at 8:15am. Thank goodness for showers in the office!

We spent the day playing Scrabble, reading and drinking beer, so not a bad way to spend a Monday.

Went for a short drive last evening and saw someone had cleverly parked their car overlooking Church Bay. When they go to retrieve it they will find a large branch decorating the windscreen.

[JJ on 12.09.06 at 11:41]

More importantly, who won Friday's caption competition?

[SmokingGun on 12.09.06 at 11:52]

Dang, should have bought shares in Heineken last friday.

[The Limey on 12.09.06 at 13:04]

JJ

More importantly, who won Friday's caption competition?

Oops. In all the excitement, I forgot. I'll get on it now.

[Tiggy on 12.09.06 at 13:49]

Sigh, oh to be able to read and post comments on Limey during a hurricane! Sadly, I'm still without power (well, when I went to work this morning anyway). I'm by Tee Street in Devonshire - does anyone know the status of the electricity there now?

[Monique on 12.09.06 at 13:55]

Another thanks for the updates -- pics and all. Glad Bermuda and residents were spared -- for the most part.

Now back to work -- all of ya'.

[Chris Jacks on 12.09.06 at 21:33]

Video shot during the storm from South Shore in Devonshire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBW3BQe3-SA

[Triforce on 12.09.06 at 21:41]

So who's still got no juice? I still don't, at last check neither did mount hill, or camp hill.

Someone should have thought of a survivor game to predict which area gets restored last.

Disheartening to hear belco still has no plans to put wires underground throughout the island.

[Andrew on 12.09.06 at 21:53]

I just got power an hour or so ago on Valley Road in Paget. Some neighbors across the swamp are still in the dark.

[Tiggy on 13.09.06 at 15:29]

I'm in Devonshire - Tee Street/Leeson Lane area and we were still buzzing with generators this morning when I left to shower at a friend's house!

[Chris Broadhurst on 13.09.06 at 16:57]

http://www.hinsonsisland.bm/florence/

Pictures of Florence at Hinson's Island, Paget

The picture of the boy in blue is on the BBC.co.uk website also