HAMILTON: Tiny, remote Bermuda found itself late Sunday at the mercy of giant Hurricane Igor, which whipped the territory with fierce winds and rain that authorities fear could spell disaster.
The brunt of the unusually large storm, whose eye was bigger than the entire British overseas territory of 65,000 people, was expected to strike late Sunday.
But hurricane-force gusts were already battering Bermuda and huge storm surges had flooded coastlines, flattened palm trees and left nearly half the island without power.
"Hurricane Igor will be a direct hit tonight," the Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) said on its website, as authorities warned residents to brace themselves and prepare for one of the worst storms ever to hit the island.
As the massive hurricane barreled in, US experts downgraded it to a category one, but still packed sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour and was expected to dump up to nine inches (23 centimeters) of rain.
Ferocious waves ripped into the southern coast, washing out some beaches and threatening coastal resorts and other structures, while several storefronts, homes and offices were boarded up.
Police received several reports of downed power lines and trees blocking roadways, but no injuries were immediately reported.
"Everybody just hunker down and wait until this thing is over," a spokesman for the island`s Emergency Measures Organization said.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center forecast the eye of the "very large" storm will pass just west of the territory Sunday night, but that is little consolation because hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere spin counter-clockwise and the strongest part of the storm is usually the northeast quadrant.
"This will cause Bermuda to get into the worst part of the hurricane, the northeast eyewall," BWS reported.
As of 0000 GMT, the hurricane was 60 miles (95 kilometers) west-southwest of the island and churning north-northeastward at 14 miles (22 kilometers) per hour.
Bermuda`s interior minister David Burch warned that Igor could rival Hurricane Fabian, which claimed four lives and caused millions of dollars of damage when it struck in 2003.
"I really would like to stress to everyone in the country, it`s important that you prepare and take the necessary steps. This storm is probably the worst we have seen," Burch said late Saturday.
The LF Wade International Airport canceled all flights to and from the island and said it would remain closed until Tuesday morning.
By Sunday afternoon, about 16,000 of Bermuda`s 35,500 customers were without power, the energy company BELCO said.
A British Royal Navy ship and helicopter have been stationed offshore to assist in case of widespread damage, and authorities mobilized the island`s part-time army -- the Bermuda Regiment -- placing some 200 soldiers on standby at a barracks and fire station.
Premier Ewart Brown did not mince words when spelling out the potential disaster.
"Our country and our people have, throughout our history, rarely faced the full fury of a storm of this magnitude, and as a people we will continue to pray that once again we will be spared," he said Saturday.
A high school in the capital Hamilton was converted into an emergency shelter, and residents were given the option of evacuating their homes and taking shelter there, but most declined the offer.
Some tourists chose to leave earlier this week, while others were riding it out in their hotels.
The sheer size of the storm -- which has a wind field of nearly 600 miles (965 kilometers) -- means Bermuda is in for an extended battering.
Tropical storm force winds (40 miles, or 65 kilometers, per hour and higher) were expected for almost two days and hurricane force winds (above 74 miles, or 119 kilometers, per hour) were expected for about 10 hours.
Normally referred to in the singular, Bermuda is actually a group of 138 islands, many of them small and uninhabited. The chain spans only 22 square miles (57 square kilometers).
BDST: 0916 HRS, September, 2010
