Hermine, now a tropical storm, killed 2
Tropical Storm Hermine lost hurricane strength over land but was intensifying Saturday along the Atlantic Coast, threatening heavy rain, wind and storm surges on its northward march.
Almost as the storm left Florida behind, authorities were already warning people along the coast to prepare.
“This is not a beach weekend for anyone in the Mid-Atlantic to the northeast,” said Eric Blake, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
This is a “storm to take seriously” with “life-threatening water levels along the coast,” Blake warned.
Tropical Storm Warnings were extended as far north as Massachusetts, with dangerous storm surges expected. Governors all along the coast announced emergency preparations.
In Delaware, the City of Rehoboth Beach said its beach was closed to foot traffic and swimming was prohibited.
Jim Derrick, a co-owner of family businesses in the city, said traffic was lighter than usual.
Derrick said by phone that the main road was “a little stop and go” traffic when “this weekend would normally be a parking lot.”
Derrick’s family owns businesses including a mini golf course, sea shell store, indoor bounce house and ice cream shop.
He says that when forecasters predict rain it “majorly affects the number of people” that come to the beach. He called the wet forecast: “definitely disappointing.”
Still, his indoor bounce house was packed Saturday, and the rain stopped long enough for him to open the mini golf course.
Further north, a tropical storm warning was issued for New York City, Long Island and parts of Westchester County.
The alert went into effect at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The National Weather Service says the warning is issued 36 hours ahead of potential tropical storm-force winds.
On Friday, the city prepared by banning swimming at its beaches on Sunday because of possible dangerous riptides.
The area could get heavy rains, strong winds and flooding in some coastal areas from late Saturday through Wednesday.
In addition, Gov. Andrew Cuomo activated New York’s Emergency Operations Center to begin preparations.
As it moved north earlier in the day, leaving North Carolina’s coast behind, the storm’s strong winds were still causing problems on the Outer Banks. The North Carolina Department of Transportation closed all bridges in Dare County, which includes the coast and the northern barrier islands.
Officials say strong winds Saturday afternoon made driving over the bridges, some over a mile long, too dangerous. They say the highways will reopen once winds die down.
The strong winds were also blowing water over N.C. 12, the only highway on southern Hatteras Island.
Saturdays are usually busy with thousands of families checking into and out of beach homes.
The National Weather Service reported winds at Manteo were gusting to about 60 mph.
Earlier in the day, authorities say an 18-wheeler crash that killed the driver on a North Carolina bridge was caused by high winds from Hermine.
Tyrell County Sheriff Darryl Liverman told The Virginian-Pilot that the winds tipped the truck over as it crossed the U.S. Highway 64 bridge over the Alligator River around 9:45 a.m. Saturday.
The nearly 3-mile long bridge crosses the Intracoastal Waterway and is the main link from the North Carolina mainland to the Outer Banks.
And on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks, a small tornado spawned by Hermine knocked over two trailers and injured four people, authorities said.
In Florida, a homeless man died from a falling tree.
Forecasters said the system could strengthen back into a hurricane by Monday morning off the Maryland-Delaware coast before weakening again as it moves north.
The timing couldn’t be worse for communities along the coast hoping for revenue from Labor Day events. In Savannah, Georgia, Bacon Fest was canceled Friday and the Craft Brew Fest had to move beer tents indoors.
In Virginia Beach, the storm forced Bruce Springsteen to move a Saturday night concert to Monday.
Farther up the coast, Amtrak cancelled or altered some service as the storm approached.
New Jersey officials ordered swimmers out of the surf. And Gov. Andrew Cuomo activated New York’s Emergency Operations Center to begin preparations.
With about 300,000 Florida homes still without electricity on Saturday, Gov. Rick Scott said restoring power is the state’s top priority.
“I want everybody to have their power. I want them to be able to take a hot shower,” he said.
Hermine could strengthen back into a hurricane by Monday morning off the Maryland-Delaware coast before weakening again as it moves north.
