Hurricane Fiona: Strong winds, heavy rains hit Bermuda
International Desk
Gusts of 100 miles an hour and driving rain buffeted Bermuda early Friday, leaving thousands without power and fearing coastal damage as Hurricane Fiona, a powerful Category 3 storm, slid past the Atlantic island.
At 6:00 am local time (0900 GMT), Fiona's center was located about 155 miles (250 kilometers) northwest of the British territory, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), which downgraded the storm to Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale in its latest advisory.
Overnight, several areas reported power outages, with more than 7,000 people affected, according to the main electric utility.
On Thursday, with hurricane warnings in effect and the NHC forecasting sustained winds at the center of the storm of more than 125 miles per hour -- with even higher gusts -- Bermuda residents said they were taking no chances.
