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With winds gusting at 115 mph, an emboldened
Hurricane Hortense ripped through the southern Bahamas Thursday, but forecasters
said the storm would not get any stronger as it headed towards the open,
cooler waters of the Atlantic.
Already Hortense has left two dozen people dead in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic from record rains, raging floods, and mudslides. In some cases, raging flood waters had swept away entire families, authorities said. The death toll was expected to rise.
With a cold front pushing the system north, forecasters said Hortense was not expected to strike the U.S. mainland or the central Bahamas.
The third Category 3 hurricane within a month, however, continued its devastation in the southern Bahamas, downing power lines, tossing roofs from buildings, and drenching the islands with heavy rain.
Much of Puerto Rico remains without power. On Wednesday, President Clinton declared the U.S. Commonwealth a disaster area.
CWS is contacting partners in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic who are assessing needs.
Call the CWS HOTLINE for updates: (800) 456-1310.
For further information about this emergency, contact CWS Emergency Response at (212) 870-3151, or through ECUNET to CWS DROFFICE. Call (800) 733-2863 to join ECUNET. After-hours emergency pager: (800) 418-0408.
cc:
J. Campbell
R. Page
M.I. Gardner
D. Davis
B. Arnold
C. Ryan
C. Fouke
M. Lehman
K. Hurty
O. Bolioli
091296-FA-Hortense-0-