Bermuda braces for approaching Hurricane Leslie

HAMILTON, Bermuda – Tourists postponed holidays in Bermuda and locals stocked up on emergency supplies as Hurricane Leslie slowly approached the wealthy British Atlantic territory on Thursday.

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A satellite image shows Hurricane Leslie churning in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda on Wednesday. Leslie is projected to pass over or near Bermuda on Sunday.

AFP/Getty Images

A satellite image shows Hurricane Leslie churning in the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda on Wednesday. Leslie is projected to pass over or near Bermuda on Sunday.

Hotel cancellations have been reported across the territory, which is popular with tourists for its pink sand beaches and with businesspeople as an offshore financial haven.

Leslie's center was forecast to pass to the east of Bermuda on Sunday morning, possibly as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of nearly 105 mph.

On Thursday, it was barely moving northward at about 2 mph over open ocean, centered some 430 miles south-southeast of Bermuda. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it was expected to intensify on Friday.

South shore beaches were closed as the approaching storm whipped up surf and residents stocked up on food, propane, tarp, flashlights and water.

"It's great to see people are not waiting until the last minute. We only have three empty shopping carts left at the moment," said Henry Durham, the boss at Gorham's hardware store.

Some were relatively unfazed since the territory enforces strict building codes to withstand rough weather. Homes must be built with walls at least 8 inches thick and be able to withstand 150 mph wind gusts. Many power and phone lines run underground.

British software developer Toby Crawford and thousands of other expatriate workers in Bermuda gradually got ready for the hurricane's pounding rains and driving winds.

"The landlord assures me we have a very sturdy roof," said Crawford, who moved to Bermuda from London a year ago with his wife, Michelle. "I'm looking forward to it, having not experienced one before."

Michelle Crawford said the couple will do their best to combat boredom while being confined to their apartment in Pembroke, near the capital of Hamilton.

"I have to admit we've opted for the alcohol route as well. We've heard that people have hurricane parties, but so far Toby and I are just planning to hole up at our house with books, board games and wine," she said.

On Wednesday, when Leslie was forecast to nearly make a direct hit, National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief urged all residents to "prepare for the worst."

Swells from Leslie have been affecting Bermuda, the U.S. East Coast, the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Michael on Thursday strengthened to a Category 3 storm, the first of the Atlantic hurricane season.

It was not a threat to land and was spinning over open ocean about 980 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

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Naples braces for flooding after heavy rains (AP)

ROME – The mayor of Naples ordered a much-awaited soccer match scrapped Sunday for fear tens of thousands of fans could be trapped by flooding, while in northern Italy authorities closely monitored the rain-swollen Po river.

Luigi De Magistris said he ordered the Serie A match between Napoli and Juventus postponed to some later date, partly because the field was already soggy, but mainly because of concern some 65,000 fans could be trapped in flooding or cause traffic problems as they drove to or from the stadium.

The sprawling outdoor ruins of ancient Pompeii on the outskirts of Naples were temporarily closed for fear of flooding, but later were reopened to tourists, authorities said.

The area has been pounded by torrential rain that has already claimed one life. Near the Naples suburb of Pozzuoli, a tree fell on a car, killing the driver, local fire chief Giovanni Fricano told Sky TG24.

Much of Italy, especially the northwest, has been pummeled by heavy rains and flooding over the last two weeks. The latest worry in the north concerned the Po river, the waters of which swelled from two rain fed-tributaries, the head of Italy's Civil Protection agency, Franco Gabrielli said. He told reporters that Sunday evening could be a crucial time for the Po's level, if the rain becomes heavier.

A bridge across a Po tributary, the Pellice stream, in the countryside outside Turin, collapsed Sunday as waters rushed through, the Italian news agency ANSA said. No injuries were reported.

Flash flooding in the center of Genoa, on the Liguria sea, killed six people Friday, including several people who took shelter in a doorway along a major street when flood waters came barreling down on them.

Elsewhere in northwestern Italy, hillside towns in the Cinque Terre tourist area were still shoveling out from tons of mud from earlier flooding that claimed nine lives in Liguria and Tuscany.

Much of largely mountainous Italy is geologically fragile, as people build homes on the slopes of hillsides, leaving them vulnerable for mudslides.

In neighboring France, 11 regions were on alert Sunday after heavy rains in the touristic Var and Alpes-Maritime regions swelled rivers and left some towns under water, forcing hundreds to evacuate.

According to the Var prefecture, at least 750 people were evacuated from flooded areas in the coastal towns of Frejus, Roquebrune and in Tourves, inland north of Toulon.

The heavy rain was marching westward toward the Atlantic, putting the Pyrenees region on alert.

At least one flood-related death has been reported in France. The body of a man was found Saturday morning on a riverbank in Lezignan-la-Cebe in the Herault region. Officials there said the victim was likely a homeless German who lived in a van and was reported missing Friday.

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U.S. Gulf Coast braces for more rain, one dead (Reuters)

MOBILE, Ala (Reuters) – Gulf Coast residents from Texas to Florida braced for a third day of severe weather on Monday with one death reported as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee continued to lash the region.

Flood and flash flood watches and warnings were in effect from coastal Texas into the Gulf states, with 10 to 15 inches of rain expected, the National Weather Service said on Monday.

Tornado warnings also were in effect in some Alabama and Florida counties.

A Corinth, Mississippi man drowned late Sunday. Tishomingo County coroner Mack Wilemon said Howard Anderson, Jr., 57, was swept into floodwaters and drowned while awaiting rescue from a vehicle.

Heavy rains will continue to expand northeastward into the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachian mountains through Tuesday, with rainfall amounts of 4 inches to 8 inches expected and isolated amounts of 12 inches possible.

"These may cause life threatening flash floods and mudslides," the weather service said.

Thunderstorms plowed through Mobile, Baldwin and Washington counties in Alabama on Monday morning, downing trees and power lines from Dauphin Island to Citronelle.

The National Weather Service in Mobile issued tornado warnings for Bullock, Covington, Escambia, Macon and Monroe counties in Alabama and Escambia and Okaloosa counties in northwest Florida.

Meanwhile, flash flood warnings remain in effect until early Monday evening for Covington, Forrest, Jones, Lamar, Lauderdale, Newton, Scott and Smith counties in southern Mississippi.

Keith Williams with the National Weather Service in Mobile said one tornado had been confirmed on Sunday in the Destin, Florida, area, but the extent of damage was not yet known.

TEEN SWEPT AWAY

Baldwin County authorities have not released the name of a 16-year-old boy Birmingham, Alabama, boy swept out into the surf on Sunday afternoon just east of Fort Morgan, Alabama.

Maj. Anthony Lowery with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said three teens were standing near the coastline when a large wave hit, carrying two of them into the surf. One was able to make it back to shore, and rescuers retrieved the mother of the second who tried unsuccessfully to reach her son in the 10-foot waves. The boy remained missing on Monday.

Rupert Lacy, emergency management director in Harrison County, said at least five homes in the coastal Mississippi county were damaged on Sunday by suspected tornado activity in the Saucier community. No injuries were reported.

Lacy said at least one Harrison County resident was taken to a local hospital after he was injured when lightning traveled through a phone line.

"Highway 90 is one of my big concerns. In some places you can't be sure if you're on the beach or the highway," he said.

Lacy said the Mississippi Department of Transportation would be bringing in reinforcements from the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area to assist in damage assessments on Monday.

Response crews are attuned to the threat of tornadoes after devastating twisters ravaged northern Alabama on April 27, killing more than 230 people and leveling portions of Tuscaloosa, Concord and Pleasant Grove.

Rainfall totals on Monday have ranged from 4 to 5 inches in the northern portion of coastal counties in Alabama and Mississippi to as much as 12 inches near the coast, Williams said. The Florida Panhandle received between 5 and 6 inches.

"We're not really sure about (Monday) because this thing's really moving slow. But there is definitely the possibility of continued rains," Williams said, noting at least 1 to 3 inches of additional rain could be expected.

A coastal flood watch was in effect for the affected areas until Monday evening, with tides expected to be as much as 3 feet above normal with waves of 7 to 10 feet.

(Reporting by Kelli Dugan; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Peter Bohan)

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Gulf coast braces for more rain, one dead (Reuters)

MOBILE, Ala (Reuters) – Gulf Coast residents from Texas to Florida struggled with a third day of severe weather on Monday with one man dead and a teenager missing in rough waters as remnants of Tropical Storm Lee lashed the region.

The tail end of the storm is expected to produce rain accumulations of up to 15 inches across the central Gulf coast, the National Weather Service said on Monday. Flash flood watches were in effect in along the coast until 7 p.m.

Tornadoes spawned by the system have also touched down in Gulf coast states and are likely to threaten the Southeast through Tuesday, forecasters said.

A Corinth, Mississippi man drowned late Sunday. Tishomingo County coroner Mack Wilemon said Howard Anderson, Jr., 57, was swept into floodwaters and drowned around 11 p.m. while awaiting rescue from a vehicle.

Heavy rains will continue to expand northeastward into the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachian mountains through Tuesday, with rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches likely and isolated amounts of 12 inches possible, according to the National Weather Service.

"These may cause life threatening flash floods and mudslides," the weather service said.

Thunderstorms plowed through Mobile, Baldwin and Washington counties in Alabama on Monday morning, downing trees and power lines from Dauphin Island to Citronelle.

Tornadoes have touched down in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, according to AccuWeather.com.

TEEN SWEPT AWAY

A 16-year-old boy was swept out into the surf on Sunday afternoon just east of Fort Morgan, Alabama. The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office identified him as Conrad Charleston Hathcoat of Hoover, Alabama.

Maj. Anthony Lowery with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said Hathcoat and two other teens were standing near the coastline when a large wave hit, carrying two of them into the surf. One was able to make it back to shore, and rescuers retrieved Hathcoat's mother who tried unsuccessfully to reach her son in the 10-foot waves. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for the boy on Monday afternoon.

Rupert Lacy, emergency management director in Harrison County, said at least five homes in the coastal Mississippi county were damaged on Sunday by suspected tornado activity in the Saucier community. No injuries were reported.

Lacy said at least one Harrison County resident was taken to a local hospital after he was injured when lightning traveled through a phone line.

"Highway 90 is one of my big concerns. In some places you can't be sure if you're on the beach or the highway," he said.

Lacy said the Mississippi Department of Transportation would be bringing in reinforcements from the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area to assist in damage assessments on Monday.

Response crews are attuned to the threat of tornadoes after devastating twisters ravaged northern Alabama on April 27, killing more than 230 people and leveling portions of Tuscaloosa, Concord and Pleasant Grove.

Rainfall totals on Monday have ranged from 4 to 5 inches in the northern portion of coastal counties in Alabama and Mississippi to as much as 12 inches near the coast, Williams said. The Florida Panhandle received between 5 and 6 inches.

A coastal flood watch was in effect for the affected areas until 7 p.m. with tides expected to be as much as 3 feet above normal with waves of 7 to 10 feet.

Meanwhile, Alabama Power Co. crews were working to restore power to 16,000 customers statewide as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee continued to work their way slowly to the northeast.

(Reporting by Kelli Dugan; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Peter Bohan)

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