Photo courtesy of NOAA
Tropical Storm Gonzalo hit Antigua with 65 mph winds and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane late Monday or Tuesday as it threatened Anguilla, St. Martin, Puerto Rico and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands.
The storm damaged resorts as the Antigua government ordered schools and businesses to close. In addition, several cruise ships altered itineraries to avoid the storm.
The Weather Channel reported that visitors at the Hermitage Bay resort on Antigua's southwest coast were not expecting such a severe storm.
"The walls blew off. A tree landed on our room. We were shaking hiding in our closet," Alexis Sherry of New York City, told The Weather Channel. "I thought we were going to die."
Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Lines changed several itineraries. Royal's Jewel of the Seas skipped a call at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and remained at sea on Oct. 13. The ship expects to return to its scheduled itinerary, calling at St. Johns, Antigua, on Oct. 14. Explorer of the Seas will depart San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 9 p.m. Oct. 13, instead of staying overnight. And Allure of the Seas adjusted its Western Caribbean route to now visit Falmouth, Jamaica, on Oct. 15 and Cozumel on Oct. 17.
The Carnival Liberty replaced calls at St. Thomas and St. Maarten on Oct. 14 and 15 with Grand Cayman and Cozumel on Oct. 15 and 16. Carnival Breeze chose to bypass La Romana, Dominican Republic, on Oct. 14 and remain at sea. Carnival Conquest remained at sea on Oct. 13 instead of visiting Half Moon Cay and also planned to head for Belize, Mahogany Bay on Roatan and Costa Maya instead of St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk Oct. 15-17.
Disney Cruise Line's Disney Magic, operating a seven-night cruise from San Juan, will visit all scheduled ports but in a different order; the revised itinerary is Grenada on Oct. 13, Barbados on Oct. 14, St. Lucia on Oct. 15 and Antigua on Oct. 16.
The National Hurricane Center said a hurricane warning was in effect for the British Virgin Islands while hurricane watches covered St. Maartin/St. Martin, Anguilla, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fay briefly became a hurricane as it lashed Bermuda, but it reverted to a tropical storm as it continues to weaken.
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