Cleanup efforts swept across Bermuda on Thursday, October 2, 2025, as residents and officials assessed the aftermath of Hurricane Imelda, which had brushed past the island the previous day as a Category 2 storm. The powerful hurricane left a trail of downed trees, toppled power lines, and scattered transformers, but—remarkably—no significant damage or casualties were reported, according to Premier David Burt, as cited by The Associated Press.
Schools, government offices, and the international airport were shuttered on Wednesday as a precaution, with 100 soldiers deployed to secure critical infrastructure, clear debris from roads, and assist at emergency shelters. By Thursday afternoon, the airport had reopened, but schools and government offices remained closed as crews worked tirelessly to restore normalcy. At the height of the storm, 18,000 customers across Bermuda lost electricity, but restoration efforts moved quickly, bringing relief to many anxious residents.
Imelda’s impact wasn’t confined to Bermuda. Earlier in the week, the hurricane battered the northern Caribbean, unleashing widespread flooding in eastern Cuba. Tragically, two people lost their lives there, while in Haiti, one person was reported missing and two others were injured. The storm’s reach was felt far beyond its immediate path, with dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents reported along beaches in the north Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and much of the U.S. East Coast. Forecasters warned swimmers and boaters to remain vigilant, as the risk from these powerful systems lingers even after the skies clear.
While Bermuda was busy picking up the pieces, another weather event was unfolding in the Atlantic. Hurricane Humberto, which had sped ahead of Imelda, dissipated on Wednesday after passing west of Bermuda. Its remnants were quickly christened Storm Amy by U.K. forecasters, who cautioned that it would bring blustery conditions to Ireland and the U.K. starting Friday, October 3. The back-to-back storms served as a stark reminder that, even as the Atlantic hurricane season winds down, the threat remains very real.
“We expect atmospheric conditions that could support tropical storms and hurricanes well into late October and November this year,” Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert at AccuWeather, told The Associated Press. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, has already seen its share of drama. Imelda marked the fourth hurricane of the season, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to nine were forecast to become hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes packing winds of 111 mph or greater.
As Bermuda’s cleanup continued, another island territory in the Atlantic was grappling with its own crisis—this time, not from wind and rain, but from persistent power woes. On October 1, 2025, about 150,000 residents in Puerto Rico were plunged into darkness for roughly four hours following a major outage. The blackout was just the latest episode in a long-running saga of instability for Puerto Rico’s electrical grid, which has suffered from years of deferred maintenance, mismanagement, and repeated battering by storms.
In response to the latest outage, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on October 2 that it would reallocate up to $365 million to address Puerto Rico’s grid crisis and deliver affordable, reliable energy to the island’s 3.2 million residents. The funding, as reported by The San Juan Daily Star, is earmarked for urgent repairs and emergency measures designed to strengthen grid stability and harden critical infrastructure. Administration of the funds will be handled by the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, working through the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).
Energy Secretary Chris Wright underscored the gravity of the situation and the federal government’s commitment to resolving it. “For too long Puerto Ricans have endured instability in their power system with outages and inflated costs,” Wright said. “The Department of Energy is putting the needs of Puerto Rico’s residents first and taking decisive action to restore reliability, protect essential services, and build an energy future they can depend on.”
The funding reallocation is part of President Donald Trump’s executive order 14156, which focuses on strengthening critical infrastructure in Puerto Rico. The move is seen as a significant step in addressing the island’s chronic power problems and restoring public confidence in the system. Governor Jenniffer González Colón welcomed the DOE’s intervention, emphasizing the importance of a stable electric grid for daily life and economic revival. “A reliable, secure electric system is essential to meet citizens’ basic needs and promote economic development, including our initiatives to bring manufacturing back to Puerto Rico and revitalize the American industrial base,” González Colón said in a statement. “The Department of Energy’s $365 million award is further proof of this commitment. These funds will help support emergency activities to increase grid reliability and repair generation assets, delivering immediate results that will benefit all 3.2 million Americans in Puerto Rico.”
The DOE reiterated its intention to work closely with Governor González Colón and local energy authorities to stabilize Puerto Rico’s grid, restore confidence in its power system, and deliver lasting energy security for residents. Years of neglect and repeated natural disasters have left the island’s electrical infrastructure fragile, making each new storm or technical failure a potential crisis. The hope is that this latest infusion of federal support will mark a turning point for Puerto Rico, setting it on a path toward greater resilience and reliability.
Meanwhile, the broader Atlantic region remains on alert. With the hurricane season entering its final stretch, meteorologists are urging communities from the Caribbean to the U.S. East Coast and Europe to stay prepared. The dual threats of natural disasters and fragile infrastructure make for a precarious situation, as seen in both Bermuda’s rapid recovery from Imelda and Puerto Rico’s ongoing struggle with its power grid.
For residents in both territories, the past week has brought a mix of anxiety, disruption, and hope. Whether it’s hurricane winds or the flicker of lights coming back on after a blackout, these events serve as a reminder of both the power of nature and the importance of robust infrastructure. As cleanup crews in Bermuda clear away debris and Puerto Rican officials work to shore up their grid, the lessons of this stormy season are clear: vigilance, investment, and community resilience remain the keys to weathering whatever comes next.