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Felix reaches hurricane force in Caribbean
Grenada bears brunt of rough weather; Henriette turns deadly in Mexico

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada - Hurricane Felix gathered strength Saturday as it pounded Grenada with heavy rains and winds, snapped small boats loose from their moorings and toppled utility poles on its route toward the Caribbean island of Aruba.

The storm was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane Saturday evening, with sustained maximum winds near 75 mph. It was expected to strengthen even further as it passed near the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao late Saturday or early Sunday.

Tropical Storm Henriette, meanwhile, was moving out to sea after dumping rain on Mexico’s Pacific coastline. In Acapulco, the storm loosened a hillside in one of the resort’s poor neighborhoods, causing landslides Saturday that killed six people and prompted evacuations.

Felix swept over Grenada, knocking local radio and TV stations out of service and toppling utility lines. No injuries were immediately reported, but the storm ripped roofs off at least two homes and a popular concert venue was demolished. Orchards were left in ruin.

‘Very, very scary’
Jess Charles, 29, said he and his family were terrified as they hunkered down overnight in their house in the Grenadian town of Calliste, listening to the storm’s howling winds.

“It was really very, very scary. The wind was blowing so hard we thought our roof might come off,” Charles told The Associated Press.

Felix became the sixth named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season early Saturday, spawning thunderstorms and downing trees in Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean islands reported only minor damage.

The tropical storm was moving away from the southern Windward Islands late Saturday morning and was to pass near Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao by evening or early Sunday morning, according to forecasters.

Tourists flee islands
At 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT), Felix was centered 420 miles southeast of Puerto Rico and was moving westward at 18 mph. It had top sustained winds of 70 mph — up from 45 mph earlier Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters said satellite loops show that Felix is a small storm, but is steadily expanding in size.