Reuters: Tropical Storm Tomas, nearly a hurricane, battered Barbados on Saturday, damaging homes and downing power lines as it headed toward the northern Windward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Packing top sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, Tomas swept over the Caribbean’s easternmost island of Barbados, blowing roofs off some houses, causing widespread power outages and blocking some roads with debris, residents said. Some residents left their homes to…