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Ernesto has strengthened into a Category 2 storm, raising fears that the hurricane could intensify further as it barrels towards Bermuda.
Forecasters said Ernesto could become a Category 3 storm by the time it closes in on the island on Friday, threatening the British Overseas Territory with severe weather just days after devastating Puerto Rico.
The storm is packing maximum sustained winds of up to 100mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane, the US National Weather Service said late on Thursday.
Ernesto is not expected to approach the mainland United States, but forecasters warned that it could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents along the East Coast through the weekend.
Bermuda is under a hurricane warning as Ernesto, currently centred about 410 miles south-southwest of the island, is forecasted to pass near or over it on Saturday.
Residents are being urged to prepare for the worst, with national security minister Michael Weeks warning against complacency and emphasising the devastating consequences of previous storms.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is for every resident to use this time to prepare. We have seen in the past the devastating effects of complacency,” he said.
The National Hurricane Centre in Miami has alerted that Ernesto could unleash heavy rainfall, with expected total ranging from 15 to 30cm and upto 38cm in some isolated areas.
The storm is expected to continue on its path, potentially impacting Atlantic Canada early next week.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico is grappling with the aftermath of Ernesto, which swept past the island earlier this week as a tropical storm before intensifying into a hurricane.
The storm left nearly 300,000 residents without power on Thursday evening, down from a peak of 735,000 outages. Many people are also facing water shortages and the situation is exacerbated by dangerously high temperatures, with the National Weather Service issuing a heat advisory.
“We know a lot of people don’t have power,” Ernesto Morales of the National Weather Service said as he warned of extreme heat and urged people to stay hydrated.
Authorities in Puerto Rico are struggling to restore power and water services as the island, plagued by economic hardships, faces mounting health risks.
When pressed for an estimate of when power would be restored, Alejandro González, operations director of the utility company Luma, said it would be “irresponsible to provide an exact date”.
The slow recovery has sparked concerns, particularly for vulnerable populations who lack access to backup power sources like generators or solar panels. Puerto Rico has a poverty rate exceeding 40 per cent.
In September 2017, Puerto Rico was struck by hurricane Maria, a devastating Category 4 storm that left at least 2,975 dead.
