Reuters/AFP/Hamilton, Bermuda/Washington

Hurricane Gonzalo regained strength yesterday, again reaching Category 4, taking it back up a notch on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale as it swirled towards Bermuda, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said, prompting residents of the island to prepare for the second major storm in a week.
Gonzalo was about 485 miles (780km) south-southwest of Bermuda early yesterday, the Miami-based centre said, with maximum sustained winds of 145mph (230kph).
The hurricane was expected to send large swells and potentially dangerous surf conditions to the United States East Coast before bringing hurricane-force winds to Bermuda today, forecasters said.
“This general motion is expected to continue today,” the NHC said. “A turn toward the north-northeast and an increase in forward speed are expected tonight and Friday.”
Bermuda is still recovering from Tropical Storm Fay, which swept over the island early on Sunday with near hurricane-force winds of 70mph (110kph).
About 1,500 homes were still without power yesterday.
Hardware and grocery stores on the island were selling out of essential supplies such as generators, flashlights, water and batteries ahead of Gonzalo.
At the main garbage dump, residents lined up to dispose of trash and storm debris from Fay to stop it blowing around and causing further damage during Gonzalo.
Most airlines have scheduled extra flights off Bermuda yesterday, with the airport set to close in the evening and reopen tomorrow at the earliest.
Bermuda Premier Michael Dunkley said government offices and schools would be closed today in the grouping of islands home to about 60,000 people.
Gonzalo is expected to see slow weakening in the night, with steadier weakening late today, forecasters said, but is still expected to be at hurricane strength when it hits Bermuda.
It is the Atlantic’s first Category 4 hurricane since 2011, when Hurricane Ophelia’s winds reached 140mph (225kph), according to Jeff Masters, a hurricane expert with private forecaster Weather Underground.
Bermuda last saw back-to-back storms of similar intensity in 1981, though neither storm caused significant damage.
Gonzalo is the sixth hurricane of the 2014 Atlantic season, which runs through the end of November. Forecasters in August predicted lower-than-usual activity for the season, with seven to 12 named storms and no more than two reaching major hurricane status.
A major hurricane is considered to be Category 3 or above with winds hitting at least 111mph (178kph).
Gonzalo caused damage in the Caribbean islands of Antigua, St Maarten, and Martinique, local authorities and media reports said.
An 87-year-old sailor in St Maarten died after his boat sank in a marina where 37 vessels were damaged, the Daily Herald reported.
Bermuda Weather Service director Kimberley Zuill said Gonzalo would be “a long duration system” that will impact Bermuda with severe weather for about 27 straight hours, according to comments reported by the Royal Gazette newspaper in its online edition.
“It is important that these advisories are taken seriously and preparations made in good time which will help to reduce property damage and the likelihood of injuries or loss of life,” Dunkley said. “We have weathered storms before and we are well versed in how to manage our homes and our property. However, I urge people to err on the side of safety every time.”