Felix Becomes Category 5 Hurricane
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sep 2, 8:22 PM EDT
*Felix Becomes Category 5 Hurricane*
By MARGARET WEVER
Associated Press Writer
ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) -- Hurricane Felix strengthened into a dangerous
Category 5 storm Sunday and churned its way into the open waters of the
Caribbean Sea after toppling trees and flooding some homes on a cluster
of Dutch islands.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Felix was packing maximum
sustained winds of 165 mph as it plowed westward toward Central America,
where it was expected to skirt Honduras' coastline Tuesday before
slamming into Belize on Wednesday as a hurricane capable of massive
destruction.
On Sunday, Felix lashed Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire with rains and winds,
causing scattered power outages and forcing thousands of tourists to
take refuge in hotels. But residents expressed relief it did far less
damage than feared as the storm's outer bands just grazed the tiny islands.
"Thankfully we didn't get a very bad storm. My dog slept peacefully
through the night," said Bonaire medical administrator Siomara Albertus,
who waited out the storm in her home.
The storm forced tens of thousands of tourists and residents on the
three islands to remain in their homes and hotels, stocked with water,
flashlights and emergency provisions.
In Curacao, about a dozen homes in a low-lying area were flooded. In
Aruba, there was little visible damage, although at least one catamaran
snapped off its mooring and a house was damaged by a downed tree. A
northern settlement had a temporary power outage.
Many Bonaire residents had prepared for the worst, installing storm
shutters and hauling their boats ashore, but the storm's winds left
little damage.
Felix became the second Atlantic hurricane of the season on Saturday
evening, following Hurricane Dean, which left at least 20 dead in the
Caribbean and carved out a destructive swath that stretched from St.
Lucia to Mexico.
At 8 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 390 miles southeast of
Jamaica and was moving west-northwest at about 18 mph, the hurricane
center said.
On Saturday, Felix brought heavy rains and strong winds to Grenada as a
tropical storm, ripping roofs off at least two homes and destroying a
popular concert venue. No injuries were reported and the Grenadian
government was still assessing the damage Sunday.
The government of the Cayman Islands issued a tropical storm watch for
Grand Cayman, the wealthy British territory's main island. A watch means
that tropical storm conditions could begin affecting the island within
36 hours.
Jamaica's government also issued a tropical storm watch. The island was
battered by Hurricane Dean on Aug. 19.
In Belize, residents stocked up on water and food, and nailed boards
over their windows to protect against the hurricane's howling winds.
Many in low-lying areas sought higher ground.
Things were more calm in Honduras, where authorities were keeping a
close eye on the storm but hadn't started evacuations. Along the
country's northern coastline, tourists were still lounging by the pool
and enjoying the sun.
On Honduras' Roatan Island, home to luxury resorts and pristine reefs,
the weather was normal and guests were simply enjoying their vacations,
Mayan Princess Beach Resort & Spa employee Arturo Rich said.
Rebecca Waddington, a meteorologist at the hurricane center, advised
employees of oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to monitor Felix's
progress and said the storm could reach the area in four to five days.
Along the Pacific coast of Mexico, meanwhile, authorities discontinued
storm warnings as Tropical Storm Henriette moved out to sea.
Henriette dumped heavy rain on western Mexico earlier, loosening a giant
boulder that smashed into a home in Acapulco, killing an adult and two
children and injuring two other people. A teenager and her two brothers
were also killed when a landslide slammed into their house in a poor
neighborhood of the resort city.
Forecasters put it on a path that would not threaten land until
Thursday, when it could hit a remote section of the Baja California
peninsula.
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Associated Press Writer Linda Straker in St. George's, Grenada,
contributed to this report.
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