Haiti watches approach of Hurricane Bertha

Haiti Action.net — Port au Prince, Haiti — Hurricane Bertha has reached "Category 3" and is less than 1400 miles from the New USA Embassy Compound in Haiti. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami expects the fast moving hurricane to reach Category 2 by this evening. Bertha is forecast to change its westward march across the Atlantic (285°) and gently curve northward and slightly east of Bermuda. At this time NHC predicts that there is less than a 5% chance that Haiti will see winds in excess of 40mph from the storm.

The New USA Embassy compound was dedicated last month to promote the New USA interests in Haiti. Currently the embassy has job openings for three "Chauffeur" positions: one based in Port-au-Prince, one based in Cap-Haitien and one based in Jeremie — close to the last known sighting of the USA-trained strongman Guy Phillipe. The closing date for these positions was June 10, but the Embassy hasn't yet notified us that these positions have been filled. Best to contact them for more info at 229-8000.

Hurricane Bertha — near 20.1N 52.1W (975mb) — has been slowing down its forward progress to quickly gain strength over warmer seas. Wave height southwest of the hurricane is expected to be over 33 feet within 300 miles of the storm center by the next 48 hours. "Bertha is beginning to encounter a weakness in the Subtropical Ridge [ to the north ] which should result in a gradual turn towards the north…" according to the NHC. However, their forecasts have changed significantly over the last week as Bertha zig-zagged its way across Hurricane Alley.

It hasn't been announced when the flights of the Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" will begin to monitor Hurricane Bertha. Bookmark the HaitiAction.net Tropical Cyclone Page to check additional links for updated alerts and resources for information during the 2008 Hurricane Season.

CONTACT the New USA Embassy with your concerns:
U.S. Embassy In Port-Au-Prince
Tabarre 41
Route de Tabarre
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Tel: 229-8000 Fax no. 2-229-8028
Hours of operation: 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
From Monday to Friday

Tuesday UPDATE:

Hurricane Bertha is headed well north of the Bahamas to the Mid-Atlantic and has weakened considerably. It may strengthen slightly over warmer waters. Check NHC links below for latest updates.

---- BOOKMARK Haiti Action.net Tropical Cyclone Page for latest updates

Satellite image of Hurricane Bertha Monday July 7. Click image above for larger view

HaitiAction.net will host a page with many Tropical Cyclone resources so you can find the latest information when you are searching for current updates. We suggest that you bookmark that page for this busy 2008 Hurricane Season.

View the latest NOAA observations near Tropical Storm Bertha

More information, resources and links can be found on the HaitiAction.net Tropical Cyclone Page

For the latest advisories from the National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?

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