Bermuda Already Back up and Running After Hurricane Fiona

Not to sound glib and trite, but Bermuda – like many island nations that are hugely popular tourist destinations – is kind of old hat at dealing with a hurricane.

Less than a day after Hurricane Fiona rumbled through the island, Bermuda declared itself open for business again.

According to officials, the island’s airport, hotels, and restaurants were back up and running less than 12 hours after the storm came through as Fiona churned more to the west. Bermuda proudly announced that it was welcoming visitors again.

“Bermuda is ready to host visitors and groups already booked to visit this weekend and into the fall season,” Tracy Berkeley, the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s interim CEO, said in a statement. “Thank you to all of the residents for their hard work and resilience as we welcome visitors to our island once again.”

This is certainly not Bermuda’s first rodeo when it comes to responding to a hurricane, and it wasn’t as easy as the 12-hour window might indicate. Hurricanes are a serious danger no matter what classification of category. In fact, Fiona, a Category 4 storm, gave the island a healthy dose of wind and rain, officials said.

The tourism ministry added that “In addition to being well prepared, Bermudians have dealt with weather events of this magnitude for more than four centuries. As a result, there has been minimal disruption to the island’s infrastructure. With clean-up already underway, Bermuda has now reopened for business.”