- Updates from the Islands -

- - Turks & Caicos Islands - -

• From: "Eden Garden Design" <edengarden AT express.tc>
• Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 14:50:32 -0400

• From: "Jodi Taylor" <miatajodi AT msn.com>
• Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 10:31:09 -0400

• From: "William P.N. Smith" <w_smith AT compusmiths.com>
• Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 15:57:38 -0400

Wanda The Weather Woman is at 649-941-7050, not -7030

Sorry about that...

• From: "William P.N. Smith" <w_smith AT compusmiths.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 20:20:46 -0400

Anyone who desires a current weather report for Pine Cay can call 
649-941-7030 and listen to "Wanda the Weather Woman" read out the current 
conditions.  If you do call during a hurricane pass, I'd really appreciate 
your forwarding me the results at wanda04@compusmiths.com  I've set up a 
recording form at http://compusmiths.com/WandaReport.htm if that helps 
write stuff down while she's going through her spiel.

It's a fixed-cell phone system tied into my solar-powered weather station, 
so it's subject to the vagarities of the cellphone system, but keep trying 
and it'll eventually work.

The highest report I got of wind speed for Frances was 54MPH, and it looks 
like Jeanne will be about the same order of storm (knock on wood!)  Still, 
batten the hatches, these storms are obviously not very predictable!

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 11:55:29 -0400

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 21:40:00 -0400

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 16:43:17 -0400

• From: "Oasis Construction" <oasis AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2004 11:42:26 -0400

• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 18:23:45 -0400 (EDT)

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 17:33:02 -0400
From: Rachel Ramdin <rachel_ramdin_AT_hotmail.com>
Subject: Turks and Caicos

So maybe an update to post for Jeanne:

The TCI gov had their first meeting of the disaster preparedness committee
regarding Jeanne this morning and are due to issue an update at 5pm and
possible a tropical storm watch. They are planning to act on problems that
occured during Frances.
Right now on Provo it is pouring with rain which is obviously nothing to do
with Jeanne yet. People seem to be aware of Jeanne and I am sure they will
heed watches and warnings if and when they are issued. In fact some houses
still have boards up from Frances.
We can hope for no strengthening and a change of path but if not we will be
ready I think.


Rachel

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 14:53:32 -0400

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 13:20:48 -0400

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 17:39:31 -0400

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 09:54:37 -0400

As of September 4/2004 at 10:00 eastern 85% of our cable modems were online.
Restoration efforts for utility infrastructure continue across the island.  

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 18:19:37 -0400

Sept 3/2004 - 18:20 - 80% of our cable modems are now back online.  We are
very pleased at the rate of recovery so far.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 15:37:55 -0400

As at 15:40 Sept 3/2004 - 75% of our customer's modems are online.  Work
continues restoring infrastructure to the island.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 13:49:55 -0400

I just received an official update from the General Manager of TCU, the
power utility on Grand Turk.

75% of the island has power restored.

The section between RTC and the Community College on North Ridge will be
restored by this evening.

Sections of Breezy Brae will be restored by tomorrow at noon.  This will
result in 100% restoration on the island of Grand Turk.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 11:08:52 -0400

Just checking our stats in our network center.

As of 11:00am on Friday, September 3/2004 70% of our customer's modems are
now online and operational.  Work orders have been put in for a large number
of downed lines to homes and businesses and our crews and actively restoring
service across the island.  Your patience is appreciated while we recover
from Frances' visit.  

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 08:54:00 -0400

I just got word from a friend that Williams Storage in the Chesire Hall area
is fine, which I would estimate means the entire area fared well during the
storm.  Thanks for the update Tim.

Also, Tropical shipping is operating again so supplies should be moving.
Hats off to Tropical.


--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2004 07:04:14 -0400

Just received this note.  While it directly supports a specific resort so I
have some hesitation about sending it, it also speaks to the experience
someone had during the storm and how they weathered it so I think it is
relevant.  Coral Gardens is on Grace Bay in the Bight area, down near the
Beaches Resort.  I have no affiliation with any of the resorts and I should
note, if you read other posts, you will see guests weathered the storm at
various other resorts as well.

"Sept 2nd 2004 12:30pm

We are currently guests that have experienced Francis at its peak. Our Party
was transferred to Coral gardens from another resort for a safe and secure
stay to weather the storm.

Speaking as a builder and contractor from the states. I must applaud the
construction & Technology here that has secured a safe haven for us.

As far as the Management and Staff here at Coral Gardens they have gone out
of they way to enhance our visit as well as all our needs.

When we return to the Island, "Coral Gardens" will be the only place that we
would stay.

Andre and all His Staff made us feel very Safe and Secure, despite my wife's
fear of what was to come.

Thanks again,

Very Truly Yours,


Rick Deptuca
Email Par416@aol.com"

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 23:01:57 -0400

No negative news coming out of Provo.  Everything has been very positive.
Direct e-mails to me have decreased, corresponding with reports that people
are able to reach loved ones.

September 2/2004 22:50 Eastern - 52% of cable modems online.  There has been
a steady increase in the % of modems online all day.  Power and cable
service is being restored all over the island, combined with people
returning to their homes.  

If anyone has any information on potential damage to the Williams Storage
units, please let me know.

Thanks,

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 19:04:32 -0400

Just got off the phone with our neighbors in Provo.

The golf course condos (at least the green ones) apparently fared quite
well.  The pool is a mess but the buildings aren't showing any material
damage.  A few units have a bit of water just inside the front door but
nothing considered flooding.  A lot of the landscaping is showing clear
signs of bad weather, with bent bushes and damaged tress etc.

As of Sept 2, 2004 - 19:00 Eastern we had 45% of our cable modems back
online.  Apparently cable TV is out at the golf course but this appears to
be a localized outage due to a downed line as TV service is widely available
on the island.  Phones and power are said to be operational on a wide spread
basis.

Residents were out driving around as early as 7am this morning.  Life is
returning to normal rapidly.  We are very very fortunate.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:50:45 -0400

A brief update from North, consistent with the Governor's Office update.

"Hi Jeff,
 
     I've been off island but just spoke to some folks on North Caicos.
Word is there have been no deaths and no serious injuries there.  Minor roof
damage to some homes along Whitby Beach.  They had a tough go of it, but
seem to be doing well.  Thanks for your efforts and updates as we've all
been concerned these past hours/days.
"

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:24:41 -0400

This just arrived in my in-box:

"Jeff,

I was reading your posts concerning conditions on Provo.  I heard from my
mother, Virginia Wilson, who lives on the island on South Dock Road.  They
have no power or phones at the moment.  They are ok.  They sustained some
roof damage, shingles, guttering, etc.  All of their trees are down and
everything is a mess, but  nothing catastrophic.

Thank you very much for the postings.  

Laura Murray
Pascagoula, Mississippi
"

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:23:22 -0400

Just had a call from Grand Turk.  Mobile telephones appear to be able to
make international calls.  (for those not familiar with the island, all
numbers beginning 231-, 241- and 242- are all mobiles.  There may be others
as well?)  Land lines may still be out (941- and 946-).  Inter-island calls
on the land lines are reported as sporadic.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:06:44 -0400

It is now Sept 2/2004 at 15:05 Eastern.

~23% of our modems are now online, with modems coming in across all four
zones.  As people return to their homes, turn their power back on and turn
their computes on more and more cable modems are appearing in our monitoring
software.

This is a good sign that things should return to normal fairly quickly on
Provo and that loved ones will be able to access the Internet to make
contact over the coming days.


--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 14:11:36 -0400 (EDT)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 18:05:33 GMT
From: CDERA Information Unit <pubinfo@cdera.org>
Subject: Turks and Caicos reopening for business

For those who cannot received HTML a copy of the release is attached.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Barbados, Sep 02, 2004 (CDERA) – The Governor’s office on Grand Turk has
reported minimal damage from Hurricane Frances which passed the island
yesterday.

Power supply is still out on Grand Turk but by this evening, electricity
should be restored to the hospital and island-wide supply expected back
by Sunday.

Water supply is presently being restored as well as telecommunications.

There was no structural damage on Grand Turk neither was there any damage
to the airports on Grand Turk or Providenciales both of which are
expected to reopen either later this evening or tomorrow.

All evacuation centres have now been closed and residents have returned
to their homes.

There was no damage reported in North Caicos. There were no casualties or
fatalities.

On Providenciales, reports of two homes damaged but no one hurt or
killed.

The Governor’s Office said that the islands are once again open for
business.

CDERA has stood down its reconnaissance mission to Grand Turk.

Deputy Coordinator of CDERA Audrey Mullings will lead a reconnaissance
team to The Bahamas after the all clear is given, should it be needed.

Members of the Caribbean Disaster Response Unit remain on standby to
deploy to The Bahamas on the weekend depending on the initial
assessments. The CDRU is operated by the Regional Security System.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jeremy Collymore
Coordinator, CDERA
Tel: (246) 425-0386

CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCY
Building #1 Manor Lodge, Lodge Hill,
St Michael, Barbados, West Indies
Tel No: (246) 425-0386         Fax No: (246) 425-8854
E-mail: cdera@caribsurf.com
Website: www.cdera.org

2004-09-02 Impact TCI 02.doc

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 13:50:29 -0400

Big update from Provo

Looking at our number of registered cable modems, about 14% of our customers
are now showing as online as of Sept 2, 2004 - 13:30 Eastern.  This is in
contrast to late last evening when the only modems online where in our
network center. 

While I can't tell what specific areas have power restored, we have the
island broken in to four zones and within three of those zones we are seeing
double digits of modems coming back online which is a good sign that any
outages are localized.

I just had word from a co-worker - power is definitely back on in the Glass
Shack area.

He has done a brief drive about the island.  He said there is only minor
damage relative to what was expected.  He reports no real flooding in Blue
Hills, Downtown, Glass Shack, the Bight, Grace Bay and Leeward.  Some trees
are down and a few utility lines.

Roof coverings (shingles and tar) are missing from roofs.

All high winds seem to have passed at this juncture.

He said it appears most people were amply prepared and had removed all
potential projectiles.

At the Golf Course area he said a few palms were down but he didn't note any
material exterior damage in his drive-by look.  

He was unable to reach colleagues on Grand Turk, it appears calls are not
going through to Grand Turk at this time (or circuits are busy?) - we cannot
reach them from Tampa either.

Overall we're starting to breathe a sigh of relief regarding the impact in
the Turks and Caicos, although the Bahamas is still being badly battered and
Florida is bracing for the worst of it.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 13:33:43 -0400

This just arrived from someone in the UK who spoke moments ago to someone at
Renaissance on Grace Bay.  Sounds like phone service is back.

"
Hi Jeff, I am writing to you from the UK - I was following your e-mails
yesterday evening as the storm drew near to you - my father is on holiday in
TCI at the Renaissance apts, Grace Bay.

I spoke to them last night on the phone & they were okay - & I have spoken
to them today at 6pm UK time (1pm TCI time) Again they are okay - they have
a phone line & water still, but power went down at 3.45pm (TCI time)
yesterday, they have been told that power should be back up later today (2nd
Sept).

My father had heard that a large boat on the opposite side of their island
has been blown over, but locally to them he can't believe that there is not
more damage - sounds like they got off quite lightly under the
circumstances.

Hope this news is helpful to you & that you are all okay, with little
damage.
"

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 13:17:33 -0400

I haven't had any news since my last update.  Attempts have been made by
many people that have been in touch with me to reach parties on Provo and
Grand Turk.  It appears that either the circuits are all in use or the
telephone network is down.

It is possible that this may simply be due to the back-up power supplies
being exhausted and/or the generators running out of fuel.  It's hard to say
at this point but based on earlier contact I don't believe the phones being
out is a result of major storm damage as they were operating up to
mid-morning without any trouble and the storm had largely moved past the
Turks and Caicos by then.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 10:00:10 -0400

More news coming in from the Grace Bay area:

"
HI Jeff:  I just got this message from OClub reservations here in Delaware -
thought you might also be interested.  Sounds pretty good considering.  Tom
and Ron, if you dont know, are Tom Lewis, General Manger, and Ron Ohlinger,
Accounts Manager.

We are very lucky today.  There is NO structual damage at either property.
Yes, we have some landscaping to definately fix, some painting & shingle
replacing but all in all, we are going to be fine.  Everyone made it through
OK & I hear big relief from Ron & Tom.  If you have any further questions,
do not hesitate to try & contact Tom or Ron at oceanclb@tciway.tc They will
try to answer emails as they can.  They are currently using a battery
back-up until the power is restored.
"

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 09:42:17 -0400

This just arrived in my in-box.  Thank you for sharing.  If you have any
info please pass it along and I'll post it so loved ones can get a sense of
what is going on.

"Jeff,
 
 I just heard from my daughter at Club Med. They are fine. She said she was
in a room located away from the water and there was no damage to her room
other than some water seeped into it from the windows. They are now serving
breakfast so I assume their dining room is intact. She has a flight out
tomorrow. She is to call me later when they have been outside and she will
give me a more detailed report. 

Susan"

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 09:39:33 -0400

I just heard from a colleague on Provo.

The worst of the storm has passed and it wasn't nearly as bad as expected.
The majority of the utility poles are standing, with only minor damage seen
to the power and communications networks.  This is great news and means the
recovery of basic services should be fairly rapid for a hurricane this
strength.

Rain fall has been minimal given the strength of the storm.  He hadn't seen
any flooding, but is also currently located on high ground.  

So far it's looking like we did fairly well relative to what could have
been.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 09:37:04 -0400

I have had a report from Grand Turk from last night around 11pm.

Heavy rain fell and high winds, but it wasn't as bad as some expected.

There are about 10 utility poles down, but not major damage to the power
grid.

There was some flooding but not too bad, mostly roads that wash out in heavy
rain anyway.

Roofs have suffered damage but not too severe overall.

I understand the hope is to restore power on Grand Turk over the next 48
hours, but damage assessment is still underway to ensure safe conditions.

I just had an e-mail from someone who was in touch with a resident on Provo:

"Dear Jeff:
It is 6:55 AM here and we are three hours time difference [~10am Provo -
JC].  I have just had a call from my Daughter Suzanne who lives in
Providencialas.  They are fine.  Lots of damage.  The wind blew 2X4's and
trees around.  The worst is over.  They spoke to someone on the other side
of their town with 8 foot windows that popped out.  They don't know if there
have been any injuries.  Pretty scary.
Thinking of you all."

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "William P.N. Smith" <w_smith AT compusmiths.com>
• Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 08:12:37 -0400

At 7:43AM, the current conditions were:

Temp 79 degrees F
Humidity 90 percent [probably means actively raining]
Win 40MPH from the SW [someone reported 51MPH max]
Total rain today 0.26"
Solar Power 19 Watts per Square Meter [dark!]
Barometric Pressure 29.64" [Up slightly from the 9:15PM reading]

In other news, the internal humidity of the box that holds the datalogger 
and other weather station components has been very stable at 5 or 6 percent 
since I changed the desiccants in early August.  This morning it was 9%, 
which indicates that a small amount of water got into the box, which means 
that it was pretty violent there overnight.


-- 
William Smith w_smith@compusmiths.com
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 07:03:48 -0400

Good morning everyone,

I haven't received any information from the Turks over night.  I am hopeful
that I will have some more info in the coming hours.

From what I have read on the weather sites and my interpretation (very
amateur, this is my first hurricane) of the satellite images, I think the
storm pounded them all night.  I'm not sure if the earlier optimism held up
as it looks like things might have intensified over night.  The sheer scope
and reach of Frances means that they are likely still being hit this
morning.  While there have been a number of flood and high surf warnings for
the Bahamas, I didn't ever find reference to any for the Turks and Caicos.
I'm crossing my fingers this luck held out.  

No reports have come in to me, nor have I tried to reach anyone by phone at
this hour.  I hope to be talking to some people later this morning and
collecting data from others who have contacts on the island.

What remains certain is the huge threat to Florida and now significant
portions of the SE US.  Hopefully the storm will lift late today on the TCI
and we can start getting confirmation that loved ones are ok and start
assessing damage.

It does appear that at least on Provo the worst seems to have passed us.  It
also appears, looking at the sat animations from last night, that the eye
rolled right along the cost of north/middle Caicos which I think may have
helped buffer Provo a bit - but that is only speculation.  I'm not a weather
man, I just provide updates on the Internet. :)


--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 23:25:43 -0400

Just spoke to my friend in Turtle Tail.

No major changes, he hasn't opened the doors to look outside.  The brunt of
the storm has been pounding them, but it's mostly been higher wind.  Not a
lot of rain.  He said he thought there was a lot of salt water in the air.
Other than higher winds and noise, nothing serious or material has been
observed at his location at this time.  

Oh, they just opened the doors and confirmed that it is very windy and
raining.  Mike also expressed some concern about the strategy and tactics of
his Yahtzee competitors. :)

I expect this to be my last update tonight and I'm optimistic that the
morning will bring a rush of post hurricane reports as the storm moves on
and our thoughts and prayers shift to our neighbors in the Bahamas.  We all
continue to watch the track towards Florida with great concern.  There are
4-5 Million people in the potential track on the East side of Florida and
many Floridians are still reeling from the affects of Charlie.

I am currently writing this from Tampa and remain concerned about the
potential for Frances to bring massive devastation to the state.  My wife
and I may be on the move again.  It may not be possible to return to Provo
on Sunday, possibly due to the potential closure of the Miami airport
depending on where Frances decides to come ashore.  We will be watching
closely to see how this unfolds at this end of the storm track.

Thank you to everyone who wrote expressing their gratitude for the updates.
I hope this information has helped you weather the stress of waiting for
news from your loved ones.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 22:05:34 -0400

I just received an e-mail from a friend who has a co-worker staying at
Beaches.  Here is what he had to share:

"Just talked to my co-worker who is at beaches sitting out the storm.

Palms still have attached frouds (sp?) so that means winds less than 75 mph.

Beaches won't let anyone leave so he cannot inspect the beach and such.

Nothing major reported though. Beaches has own generator so all lights are
on there."

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 21:24:26 -0400

I just spoke to my friends, hunkered down in the Turtle Tail area of Provo.
As of 21:20 I was able to get a call through without any trouble.  This call
didn't suffer from the delay in the previous call.  Connection quality was
good.

Winds have picked up.  Pretty breezy at the minute.  If you needed to you
could still go outside, but not advised.

Estimates its getting as close as it may get, and may be starting to fade
away.

Expects the tail to have a bit of a bite, the back end looks stronger than
the front right now.

Passing the time inside with friends playing yahtzee at the moment.  

Expecting another hour or so of strong weather before it starts to move on.

Mostly gusts and so forth.  Expecting a lot of water around the island but
nothing confirmed.  Likely in low lying areas.

The roof rattled as we spoke.

Hardly any rain.

Expecting winds to approach 70 mile winds (estimate - less than Grand Turk).

Worst to be over, hopefully by midnight.

Somewhat sheltered position, haven't been hit nearly as badly as expected.
But not out of it yet.  The next few hours will tell the story.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "William P.N. Smith" <w_smith AT compusmiths.com>
• Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 20:50:39 -0400

At 5:42PM the wind was 24MPH from the North, and 0.84" of rain had fallen.
[Also, at this time, the sunlight intensity was 28 watts per square meter, 
where a normal sunny noon is over 1000.  Dark and rainy, but not too windy 
(yet).]
At 7PM, the wind was 29MPH from the North and 0.9 inches of rain had fallen.
At 8:30PM, the wind was 27MPH from the NorthWest, and 0.99" of rain had fallen.

[I don't have my weather station source code here, so I can't confirm these 
wind numbers, but they seem awfully low for what others are 
reporting.  I'll be able to recreate the entire day in great detail when I 
next harvest the weather data in November...]

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 19:57:01 -0400

I just heard form a co-worker in the Glass Shack area.

He has his computer and cable modem on UPS and is still online.

He got caught outside while finishing some of his boarding.  Got wet but
confirmed rain has been intermittent there as well.

Weather Channel is reporting 25'+ waves at Florida coast on Friday.
Evactuations are underway in SE Florida.  

There hasn't been any suggestion of high surf in Turks and Caicos yet.  The
friend I spoke to in the last update said that the storm surge is normally
on the north side of a storm, and being that the Turks and Caicos are on the
south side of the storm it might actually draw water away.  But this is all
the speculation of amateurs - don't take our word for it. :)  

Co-worker not aware of any damage in the immediate Glass Shack area.  Noted
that a number of people have cordless and/or other more advanced phones but
that they may require power to ring.  Therefore don't panic if you can't
reach someone by phone, it might be a power issue and not a phone issue.

I will post more when available.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 19:45:34 -0400

I just spoke via telephone with friends on Provo.  They are in an elevated
position in the Turtle Tail area, south side of the island (Grace Bay beach,
the resort area, is on the north side of the island, as is the Golf Course,
the Leeward Community and the Blue Hills area).

Power is definitely out.  Local line phone service appears to still be
working, although delay seemed much longer than usual.

At this juncture spirits were good at our friends place and they were just
sitting around via lamp light and organizing their supplies, digging in for
the worst of it.

It is getting windy and darkness is falling.

Some damage reported towards Leeward - no details available.

They had satellite TV as recently as an hour ago and based on that and all
the Internet sources they are estimating 64 knots for max sustained winds.
They have lost internet connectivity at this point. 

You can walk outside at the moment but not well advised.  They have been
moving some supplies in quick bursts between buildings.

Hardly any rain has fallen, and it comes in fits and starts.  It only rains
for a few minutes at a time.  There have only been 3 claps of thunder heard.

They are expecting it to strengthen, but not as severely as originally
thought, although still very serious.  

The worst is yet to come but there is a bit of reserved optimism due to
results so far.  The next 3 hours will see the real intense weather start.

I will attempt contact with them again between 20:30 and 21:00.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 19:13:50 -0400

The Weather Channel has just started reporting hurricane damage on Grand
Turk.  No details were provided.  

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 19:07:51 -0400

At Sept 1/2004 17:45 approximately 48% of our customer's cable modems
appeared to be online.

At Sept 1/2004 19:00 all but a handful of our customer's cable modems appear
to be offline.  This would be consistent with loss of power on the island.

Looking at our traffic statistics, it appears that the power likely went off
sometime between 18:00 and 18:15.  Internet connectivity to our network
center is still operational.

The weather network is reporting the absolute worst of the hurricane is just
missing the Turks and Caicos.  The announcer said the outer edge of the eye
was just grazing the islands.  The meteorologist was quite positive about
this development, but didn't elaborate on what this might mean in terms of
wind speed or potential high seas.

Looking at the radar on the weather channel, it appears that the brunt of
the storm should be starting to hit the islands at this time.

I spoke to one of my co-workers around 17:50 tonight, he is located near the
conch farm end of the island (Leeward community end).  He indicated heavy
rain and rising winds, but not horrendous conditions at that point.  He was
expecting the situation to deteriorate.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "William P.N. Smith" <w_smith AT compusmiths.com>
• Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 16:18:13 -0400

Notes from my weather station on Pine Cay:

At 6:30 this morning, the wind was 10MPH from the North, and no rain had fallen
At 8:00, the wind was 22MPH from the North, and no rain had fallen
At 10:15, the wind was 15MPH from the North, and no rain had fallen
At 3:45, the wind was 23MPH from the North, and 0.5" of rain had fallen.
At 4:08, the wind was 21MPH from the North, and 0.53" of rain had fallen.

[Note that wind speeds are instantaneous values, not sustained or gusts.]

More news as it happens, though cellphone service is a bit busier than 
usual, and I'm not always able to get through.

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 11:35:26 -0400

I just spoke to a friend who was online from the Turtle Tail area on the
south side of Provo.

Thunder can be heard.  The winds are picking up.  There is rain falling.
Apparently it is 50 times worse on the north shore (Grace Bay).  My friend
indicated it was impressive watching it approach - a big dark grey dome
coming across the heavens, while he sat below blue skies.  He said the eye
wall broke up in the last hour and most of the thunder has been shed off
towards the DR.  Hopefully that will mean less rain and the storm will be
less well organized over the next 12 hours.  He indicated it seemed
relatively sheltered where he was, when he saw the ocean 20 minutes ago it
was like glass

His rough estimate was current winds at 30 knots on the south side and 50
knots or more on the north side of the island, but that was a very general
estimate not a measurement.

Power has flickered in his area but did not go out.

As of Sept 1 2004 - 11:30 Eastern 59% of our cable modems were still online,
down from 72% at the last update.  This may be due to localized power
outages, or it may simply be due to more people powering down their
equipment as the storm nears.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 09:56:40 -0400

Hi Everyone,

I was just thinking that many of you may be displaced and may not have
access to your regular PC.  To access your Express email from the web, you
can go here:

http://webmail.express.tc

Login with your username (the part before the @ in your e-mail address) and
your regular e-mail password.  I'm afraid if you can't recall your password
I can't help you from here right now.  Sorry. 

Likewise, if you're trying to reach anyone on the island who has an
@express.tc or @tcexpress.tc email address, please attempt to send it.
Whether or not the recipient can get the mail right away, it will be stored
on the mail server until they retrieve it.  

I will be posting regular updates indicating the % of our customer's modems
that appear to be online.  This will give you some idea of the status of the
power network on the island.

As of Wed Spet 1/2004 09:51 EST 72% of our modems were registered as online.
I believe the ones that are offline are due to people packing up and
vacating their premises.  Also, some people may have not disconnected their
modem, but they may have moved to higher ground.

I will also continue to report on the availability of our Internet
connection on to the island.  I am optimistic it might survive the storm
which will allow us to continue to receive email from the outside, so that
people will have it once their access is restored.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Jeff Campbell" <jeff AT express.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 09:33:34 -0400

Hello Everyone,

It just occurred to me that I should share this information as it could
prove very important as you try and stay in touch with people during the
storm.

The cable TV network contains battery backup units.  I didn't confirm before
we left the island if these were going to be turned off, but I have no
reason to believe they were.  As long as they are functioning properly they
should provide up to 4 hours of powering in the cable TV line, in the event
that PPC needs to shut down the power grid.  What this means is that the
Express cable modem service will continue to function for a few hours even
in the absence of power.  The Express server equipment is also on battery
and alternate power sources and should be operational long past the 4 hour
window for the line itself.  Likewise, the components that provide the
overall internet connectivity benefit from backup.

While no one can guarantee if or when a break in connectivity may occur, if
you have access to a UPS to power your PC and cable modem, you should find
that you can continue to access the Internet for some time after power
failure.

I hope this helps.

--
Jeff Campbell
General Manager
Express High Speed Internet
jeff@express.tc
Tel 649-941-8209
Fax 649-946-4603 

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 07:42:12 -0400

• From: "jeffcampbell AT hfx.eastlink.ca" <jeffcampbell AT hfx.eastlink.ca>
• Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 23:02:36 -0400

Hello,

My wife and I are residents of Provo.  We left the island around 14:30
today on the AA flight to Miami.  The airport was busy but not hectic.  The
tourists were concerned but most seemed more annoyed than anything else. 
Lineups were long and some tensions erupted in the security line as people
tried to jockey for position relative to their flight departures.  The
security staff stepped in and sorted things out and people seemed to be
making their flights without trouble.  I have an unconfirmed report the
last flight out was around 10pm tonight.

We spent yesterday and this morning working with neighbours to put up
plywood and any other protections available.  General faith that the storm
wouldn't be hitting us seemed to evaporate late yesterday and preparations
began in earnest across the island.  As recently as mid-morning there still
seemed to be plywood available at the local Do-It center, and despite other
stories at other locations, the price seemed to hold steady around $27-$30
a sheet.  A constant issue seemed to be burning out the conrete drill bits,
we'll have multiple on hand next time, as well as a hammer drill (thanks
for Christina and Tim for the loan of the drill).  Is there a link from the
stormcarib site on how to properly use plywood to board up a building? 
This is our first caribbean hurricane and there seem to be various
approaches.  We want to get educated for the next one.

We prepared our hurricane kit in detail, as we had some concern we might
not make it out.  Every indication is that if the storm hits, and it is
looking increasingly likely it will be a fairly direct hit, that people
will need those kits.  We were taken by surprise last year when a hurricane
hit in Canada and we weren't prepared at all.  If you haven't been through
this before - heed all the hurricane prep advice available in your region. 


We are scheduled to fly back in on Sunday morning, so when I saw a previous
update from someone on Provo indicating AA wasn't flying until the 7th, I
was concerned.  I contacted AA and after a long time on hold while they
investigated, they informed me that they had no information indicating a
hold until the 7th.  The customer service rep indicated to me that the
moment the airport was opened for traffic AA intended to start flying in. 
However, it wouldn't be the first time the field and the back office
weren't in synch.  We'll see what happens closer to Sunday.

For those who don't know the geography of Provo, a large part of the land
is at sea level, and while there are some areas of elevation, a significant
number of homes and businesses will be directly threatened by the storm and
any associated surge in water levels.  There are also some very low lying
(valley) areas where flooding could cause severe damage.  Our condo at the
golf course is only about 2 feet above sea level - and while it is not
directly on the beach, any material surge will likely reach it.  We've
heard various unconfirmed reports from other islands that Frances has
passed of surges - but I haven't had that confirmed by the weather network.
Can anyone out there confirm?  I don't want to fear monger and I remain
optimistic the flooding will be minimal if any.  I have seen some footage
of flooding from Puerto Rico (outlying island), but it was impossible to
determine the extent.  According to the Weather Network reports the winds
only hit about 20 MPH as Frances passed PR.

It feels very strange not to be in our adopted home, and our thoughts and
prayers are with our friends on Provo.

-Jeff & Karen

--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:41:55 -0400

• From: "Ernie Jackson" <ejacksonnorma AT hotmail.com>
• Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2004 11:29:12 +0000

• From: "Patricia & Andy Andersen" <tricia.andy AT tciway.tc>
• Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 21:37:58 -0400