Hurricane Emily Pounds Grenada
Posted on: Thursday, 14 July 2005, 09:00 CDT
St. GEORGE'S, Grenada -- Hurricane Emily pounded Grenada early Thursday, packing sustained winds of about 90 mph.
"They took a major portion of the brunt of the storm," said Trisha Wallace, a forecaster with the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The storm was heading west, and a tropical storm watch was in effect for Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, which Wallace said could expect heavy rain. According to the current forecast track, the storm could hit the southern coast of Texas by early next week.
Grenadians had rushed home or to shelters under heavy rain Wednesday, forming traffic jams in the capital of St. George's as the storm approached. The government had declared a state of emergency as a precaution.
The struggle to recover from last year's Hurricane Ivan had prevented Grenada from thoroughly preparing for this year's hurricane season. Amid a shortage of construction supplies, many islanders still have no roofs and some children are still taught under tarps.
At 5 a.m. Thursday, the center of Hurricane Emily was about 45 miles northwest of Grenada, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was heading northwest at about 18 mph.
Commerce halted across much of the eastern Caribbean as Emily bore down.
BP oil company evacuated nonessential staff from its 14 offshore oil platforms in Trinidad, leaving 11 employees to operate two platforms to fulfill its contractual obligations to provide gas for the country, the company said.
In St. Vincent, people placed boards over window and businesses. "We've got to be prepared and that's what we're doing," said Cordell Roberts, 39, a fisherman who was helping to pull boats from the water in the capital, Kingstown.
Emily trails Hurricane Dennis, which destroyed crops and killed at least 25 people in Haiti and 16 in Cuba last week, according to authorities in the two countries.
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On the Net:
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
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