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CNN Sunday Morning
Hurricane Erin Takes Aim at Bermuda
Aired September 09, 2001 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this morning, this hour, with a hurricane, Hurricane Erin. That storm has strengthened and it is taking aim this morning at Bermuda. The government there has issued a hurricane warning. And forecasters say the resort island is likely to get nearly a direct hit.
The latest on the island, journalist Darlene Ming of the Bermuda Broadcasting Company joins us now on the telephone.
Good morning to Darlene.
DARLENE MING, BERMUDA BROADCASTING COMPANY: Well, good morning, Martin.
SAVIDGE: How are things in Bermuda right now?
MING: Well, for a Sunday morning, certainly not the relaxed state that we would normally have. As you mentioned the government has mobilized the Bermuda Regiment into action. We are expecting passage of this system later this afternoon.
Right now, we are talking about anywhere between one and 5:00 p.m. - one and 6:00 p.m. when we will have the heaviest winds. Certainly, there is good news and there is bad news. The system has in fact intensified. The good news, however, is that it is veering to our east and this means that we're not going to take a direct hit. And that is good news for the country today.
SAVIDGE: Traditionally, in the past, Darlene, how vulnerable is Bermuda, the geography and all of that that comes into play here?
MING: Well, certainly, Bermuda is isolated. We sit out in the Atlantic pretty much by ourselves. The Caribbean area well to our south. We have been, in terms of history, quite fortunate here in Bermuda in that because we are such a small land mass we tend to get lucky, like we are today and the small land mass that saves us, if you will, from most of the direct hits.
And so once again, this morning, we are looking at a situation not quite as optimistic as that. We certainly are going to feel the effects of this system in our eastern marine area and residents along the eastern portions of this country will probably take the - take more of the grunt from the storm. But we're a small country and it's our land mass that has helped to save us in many past occasions. SAVIDGE: Quickly now, do you think the people are taking this very seriously then?
MING: Oh, I believe so. As I said, the government, in fact, has been meeting since early yesterday. Given the weekend, this gives people more available time. And the country has been mobilizing for the past 24 years. And therefore, even though, most of our commerce and stores have shut down today, the store owners took a lot of measures yesterday and the battling down did commence then.
So I believe that we have sufficient time to be well prepared.
SAVIDGE: Good. Darlene Ming joins us from the Bermuda Broadcasting Company as they await the arrival of Hurricane Erin.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, let's get the latest on Hurricane Erin now. Karen Maginnis is here. She's been out there for a while sort of up and down in terms of her strength but not like this.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It has really had so many incarnations. We saw it as a tropical depression then a tropical storm. And then we were looking at it just kind of meandering around a bit. And now, it's really picked up some storm and has picked up some intensity as well. So it is moving to the northwest. However, because of the subtropical ridge, essentially, it's going to start moving a little bit more towards the east. So let's go ahead and take a look at the latest information surrounding this.
It is a very, very well organized hurricane with 105 mile an hour winds associated with it. We've got enhanced satellite imagery. Take a look at this, a clearly defined eye. According to the National Hurricane Center, it looks like it may pass within 60 nautical miles of Bermuda. But don't let that fool you because this is such a broad system, the effects of this are going to be felt throughout much of the day it looks like. Even though the eye of the storm will not pass over Bermuda, at least, according to the computer models right now, it is going to come very close.
Right now, we're looking at it at just over 180 miles to the east, southeast of Bermuda. And it is going to be intensifying but it also looks like it may start to curve a little bit more towards the east but gradually, we think, because it will encounter some colder waters that it's going to move more towards the north. So we'll have to watch this carefully.
Marty and Colleen, this has been a very fickle weather system that just has had so many incarnations. Now, back to you.
SAVIDGE: Thanks, Karen, very much.
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