St. George’s, Grenada – Hurricane Felix gathered strength Saturday and pounded Grenada with heavy rains and winds, snapping small boats loose from their moorings and toppling utility poles.
The storm was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane Saturday evening, with sustained maximum winds near 75 mph. It was expected to strengthen further as its outer bands reached the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao overnight.
Meanwhile, six people were killed as Tropical Storm Henriette dumped rain on Mexico’s Pacific coastline before moving out to sea.
In Acapulco, the storm loosened a boulder that smashed into a home, killing three people. And a teenager and her two brothers were killed when a landslide slammed into their house in a poor neighborhood.
Felix knocked out Grenada’s radio and TV stations. No injuries were immediately reported, but the storm ripped roofs off at least two homes and a concert venue was demolished. Orchards were in ruin.
Jess Charles, 29, said his family waited out the storm in their house in Calliste.
“It was really very, very scary. The wind was blowing so hard we thought our roof might come off,” Charles said.
In Aruba, residents stocked up on groceries, flashlights and window reinforcements. Tourists crowded the airport to catch flights out.
“This kind of weather doesn’t usually make it to Aruba, so people are definitely worried,” said Mark Werleman, a cashier at Wema Home and Hardware Center, which was doing a brisk business in plywood to protect windows.
