Bajans brace

Article by Mike King

Barbadians were last night bracing for a battering by Tropical Storm Ernesto whose driving rain, thunderstorms and lightning are expected to continue through this morning.
Acting director of the Barbados Meteorological Services, Hampton Lovell, told the WEEKEND NATION that all emergency services had been activated and the island was virtually on shutdown as the tropical storm watch was yesterday upgraded to a tropical storm warning.
“The centre is expected to pass very close to or over the island. That is a direct hit,” Lovell said.
Flight operations at Grantley Adams International Airport were to be suspended from midnight till 10 this morning, and many entertainment activities and summer camps were postponed after reconnaissance aircraft investigating the weather system indicated that it had strenghtened to a tropical storm.