HAMILTON, Bermuda — Tourists lined up to catch the last flights off Bermuda, and locals stocked up on emergency supplies Saturday as Hurricane Igor approached, while Mexicans mourned at least seven killed by Hurricane Karl.
An extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane last week, Igor was still a Category 2 storm, and officials warned that its pounding rains and driving winds could be deadly.
“This storm will be a long and punishing one,” Public Safety Minister David Burch said. “The potential for injury and physical damage is great.”
High surf kicked up by the storm has already swept two people out to sea in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, far to the south.
Several people in the Bahamas stared mesmerized at the 12- to 15-foot waves, including Peter Mills, 44, who took his wife and two children to John Smith’s Bay Park to watch.
“It’s absolutely spectacular,” Mills said, “but it’s probably going to be absolutely horrifying come the next couple of days.”
In Mexico, meanwhile, the remnants of Hurricane Karl soaked south-central portions of the country as authorities sent helicopters to rescue dozens of people stranded by flooding and hunt for others feared washed away. At least seven fatalities were reported.
