Hurricane Maria causes havoc with public transport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16: Maria brushed past Bermuda yesterday and despite high winds and heavy rain, the island escaped serious damage.

Yesterday the tropical storm was briefly upgraded to a hurricane and continued to travel north and away from the island.

Travel was seriously disrupted with all flights in and out of the airport cancelled and most ferries tied up at the dockside.

Minister for National Security Wayne Perinchief said that although the Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) was not mobilised — he had been in conference with Police Commissioner Mike DeSilva, Permanent Secretary Major Marc Telemaque and the Bermuda Weather Service throughout the day.

He added: “There was constant and close monitoring of what the Weather Service was saying and we made decisions as we went along based on that.

“Airlines pulled their flights based on wind speed and direction and that is a matter for them.

“Our ideal is to keep open for business as long as it is safe to do so, rather than closing everything down at the first opportunity.”

The Causeway connecting the east end to the rest of Bermuda was watched closely by Government engineers and police.

But despite occasional gusts of up to 50 knots, the Causeway remained open throughout the day.

All ferry services, except the pink route linking Hamilton with Paget and Warwick, were cancelled yesterday.

And although all Government schools remained open, some private nursery schools stayed closed as a precaution.

Mr Perinchief said: “There have been no reports of any serious problems which have been brought to our attention. Things worked out
very well.

“But we still have a couple of months of the hurricane season to go and we’ve got to keep that in mind. People should always be prepared and stay alert.”

A police spokesman said: “We’re not aware of any significant calls due to the weather.

“We were prepared for whatever might have happened — we’re always ready.”