|
The Caribbean Hurricane PageUpdates from the Islands
|
Earlier reports are posted on another page.
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 21:58:10 -0700 From: Curt Waite (c.waite@internetMCI.com) Subject: For News on Antigua try www.antol.ag/sun.html-ssi For those of you who have written and requested help in knowing if your vacation plans should continue try this site. It is the Antigua Sun newspaper and there is a color photo that is awesome. It also has several articles concerning damage. The only hotels this newspaper mentions as being damaged are Sandals, St James Club, and Rex Blue Heron. I imagine you should call your hotel- they won't tell You to come unless it is ok is my guess. My husband is too swamped mopping up the water at our house to go out investigating- though I imagine he would rather do that than muck out the mess. God was so good to allow us the privledge of broadcasting all night through the storm-all other stations were knocked off- and as far as I know are still off. We are still on. This storm is reported to have less devastating than Luis- after that early Sept storm many of the hotels were up and operating by the opening of the season in early November. A couple hotels never recovered. Tourism is the islands economy and they will do all they can to quickly get all the hotels serviced. Hope you brave souls who come have a great vaction. Stop by Caribbean Radio Lighthouse in Bolans for a tour of our radio station. Hope this site helps. Sincerely, Barb Waite
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 18:36:47 EDT From: Ant1Eli@aol.com (John Fuller's Son) Subject: latest, Antigua Just spoke with the Erskines in Crab Hill who said that 95% of the houses in that village were with roof damage. APUA had come to fix their phone already though!!!!! They said that because the local radio stations are out at the moment its difficult for them to know how badly the island has been hit. They said that they had heard that there was lots of damage to Old Road, Five Island, Sea View Farm, Liberta, and All Saints. From what it sounds like, people are not too concerned with hotels at the moment and are more concerned with getting roofs over their heads. The season is not over and with other named storms out there and probably more to pass the Caribbean, the tourist machine is not one of their immediate concerns. I know from being there for Luis that we will recover from this and will do it more quickly this time. BUT for all people asking about hotels that they were going to visit in October,.........I think that you may have to move the dates of those fantastic holidays closer to Christmas. By then we Antiguan's will be delighted to have you come and enjoy our island with us. Rex Halcyon got very badly damaged (my friend isabelle was there) Like another Antiguan wrote in her report, if you are coming to Antigua now then you better be prepared to work. Holidays in October are not looking good. I will try to find a news source from Antigua. My friends at the Daily Observer may find a way of getting new on the net, but with electicity out and radio stations out, I think news will continue to be e-mail oriented. Just spoke with Mike T who said that people are doing an unbeliavable job of cleaning up He said that he had been to English Harbour. He said that the insurance people there said that it must have been a category 5 hurricane. Mike said that there have been several reports of over 150 mph winds. My Dad said that there were gusts of up to 180 mph recorded somewhere on the island. Also its interesting to note that all of the people I spoke with told me that there tthe 'eye' passed over the island, contrary to NHC reports putting it to the south of Antigua. We think that they were wrong about its actual position and strength at the time and just before it hit Antigua. Mike who lost a finger in Luis, said that the winds didn't sound like 100mph. He said, ''it sounded like one tousand FuŁ%*&^ MPH.'' He was terrified especially when the roof decided that it couldn't hold on any longer and took off like a space ship on a mission. He had been to Devil's bridge late in the evening before the storm hit and the water was already over the bridge. He said the swells were monterous and frightening. Dark wood Beach and some of the other beaches on that coast were nearly gone. eli
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 18:05:15 +0000 From: Steve Coghlan (jollyroger@candw.ag) Via: J (j@weatherwatchers.org) Subject: Re: CASILIST : Georges in PR, Ivan and Jeanne Behind TUE. 4:44PM AST - I must apologize for not being able to communicate earlier, but I am sure you will understand given the circumstances. Antigua was directly in the path of the storm, and from about 10pm to just after midnight we experienced winds in the 90 - 110 mph range. This was followed by about a 45 min calm in the eye and a very sudden reversal of wind direction with only a few seconds before the hurricane force winds began again, but from the opposite direction. By about 4:00am the winds were from the southeast and down to tropical storm force. There was very little rainfall in the first half of the storm but that changed in the early hours of the morning and some minor flooding was reported. In comparison with Luis in 95, Georges was neither as long or as destructive, but it was very intense just before and after the eye moved through. Reports suggest that the maximum sustained winds were 116 mph with gusts up to about 130 mph, and as mentioned there was only moderate rainfall. Damage appears to be most pronounced along the north and south coasts, with areas of extreme destruction being seen inland. It is safe to assume that there were tornadoes in the eye wall, because some of the damaged areas should not have been hit as hard as they were. The city of St John's was almost untouched, and with the exception of some downed power lines, today could have been a normal day at the office. The utility poles are for the most part upright, but many power lines are down so the island has no electricity yet. Water is also off at the moment but may be switched back on soon. It is important to note that most Antiguans have water storage cisterns, and many have generators, so this is not quite as critical as it might sound. Phone lines are ok in some areas and the cell phone network stood up well. The visitors to the island are being relocated to other destinations today, but some hotels will be up and running again within a few days and by Oct. 15th I believe most hotels will be open. The cruise ships should be able to return by next week, as there was no damage to the port, and many of the beaches seem ok. I have not been very specific because there are many areas that I have been unable to visit, but I will try to send more info when I can.
[Tue, 22 Sep 1998 14:41EDT] - Received an another update from John Fuller via son Eli (Ant1Eli@aol.com):
Just got off the phone with dad again. He says that after driving around some
of the island his story has changed. Its worse than he said it was at first.
''Where it got hit hard......it really got hit hard. Blue Herron is smashed,
Pineapple was badly hit, Antigua Village is not too bad but the beach at
Dickenson is actually WORSE! Old Road was bad hit as well as Crab Hill. Dark
Wood Road is no longer there and the break water wall past Crab Hill has been
taken out. The new hotel buildings at Blue Waters made it through this time.
No word at all from Barbuda yet! My boat and champion fishing boat, ''Nell''
sustained quite a bit of damage and was moved up 400 meters away from the
beach!
If anyone was there for Luis then you will remember the colour of the trees
and the sea after he had gone. He says they are the same. The trees are black
as though there had been a terrible fire and the sea is like it is here in
England!!!!!! Not as cold though I can say for sure. Many of our friends and
family lost roofs and it has been reported that another Antiguan was killed in
the storm. Again we do not have any info about the two terribly unfortunate
deaths, but as there are many phones still working, I'm sure by now their
family and loved ones have been notified.
[Tue, 22 Sep 1998 14:04EDT] - Received an update from John Fuller via son Eli (Ant1Eli@aol.com):
Spoke with Dad again an hour ago as well as Mike Tyrrell from Parham. They
both said that the winds were stronger than in Luis but for a much shorter
period. I remember sitting through hours of a noise that sounded like jet
engines during Luis. Its a sound that you can't forget. Anyway Mike says that
Parham was hit pretty hard. His mother's house on the Hill lost its roof and
he found it half a mile away near the jetty. He said that the beautiful palms
that had hidden from Hugo and Luis got caught this time and were now down with
the rest of the rubble. Dad said that there were many houses with roof damage.
My uncles Nick Fuller, and Jimmy Fuller both had roof damage. Jolly Harbour
took a beating, but the info is not easy to get. He says that there are many
phones in town working. I have had many people from around the world asking
about loved ones. In reply to them all I can offer at the moment is:
Its difficult to get specific info but:
I spoke with my dad again an hour ago and he has told me to tell everyone who
is worried about friends and family that it was pretty bad and there is loads
of damage. However, it wasn't as bad as Luis and there are very few injuries.
It has been reported that one Antiguan man was killed during the storm, but
there is not much info about that unfortunate death. I'm sure that his friends
and family will have information by now as there are many phones still working
in Antigua.
With the lessons learned a few years ago after Luis, I think Antigua will be
on its feet again soon. There was plenty of sand missing from some beaches for
a change that didn't happen as a result of government authorised mining, but
at other beaches there was more sand than ever. He said Dickenson Bay had more
sand than ever. He said that there were a few dog bites too [small areas with
no sand -Gert].
[Tue, 22 Sep 1998 09:11EDT] - Alan B. Scholl reporting from Antigua:
HURRICANE GEORGES
After watching the storm form at around latitude 10N, my worries/suspicion
started at that point. All the forecasters predicted that it move directly west
and all the models were indicating that Dominica or Martinique would be hit. As
early as Wednesday l
ast week, I told my neighbour that GEORGES had Antigua in its crosshairs.
Friday, September 18, it turned north and all hell broke loose, the shops were
filled, garbage bags and duck tape quickly became scarce.
On Saturday everyone was very busy making preparations for the hurricane which
at this time was clocking 150MPH! I took down my ham radio antenna and that
night packed everything in garbage bags. I also purchased a 20' by 20'
tarpaulin which I used to cov
er my entire bedroom including the radios, computers, personal belongings and
books.
Sunday, September 20, we were expecting the storm by 3AM then 5AM then 8AM and
then midday. Well, I didnt mind too much because it gave me time to take down
my 10' satellte TV antenna whcih I quickly did but at around 10:45AM we got a
first taste. Just a
small squall with some string winds and rain for about 30 seconds, a little
"wake up call" as to what was to be expected later. By around 2:30PM, it got
really dark and gloomy and the clouds were zooming by. At the ground level,
there was nothing signifi
cant yet and this continued until around 8:10PM when the first gusts of
tropical storm strength winds started. The wind continued to get stronger until
around 9:10PM there were some really strong gusts followed swiftly by the power
being cut off. At this point, I realised it was going to be a really long night.
The wind continued building well into the night and everyone was nervous. The
only thing we could all do was call all our friends and they had the same idea
so the phones rang all night with friends and family checking around. You could
hear trees snappin
g and the smell of broken vegetation filled the air. There were loud noises on
the roof as twigs, fruits and leaves made really strange noises skittering
across the roof.
Being a ham radio operator, I had erected a 55 foot antenna mast which posed
the biggest threat as any collapse of this beast would mean certain destruction
of the roof or the cars or both. So I nervously checked it by looking through a
window every half
hour or so. Fortunately, it resembled the rock of Giraltar and all of GEORGES
strongest gusts did not budge it. The wind howled and pulsed but even up to
this point, there was little or no rain. This continued up until around 12:14AM
September 21 and then it went dead, totally dead.
The eye was over Antigua. Not a whisper, not a blip. We cautiously went outside
with flashlights surveying any possible damage as there was an estimate of
about one hour of calm. There was no noticeable damage, so we all moved back
inside until I remembered
that I wanted to shut off the propane cylinders. I quickly ran back outsided
to do so and looking up I saw a few sclouds and stars dotting the black night
sky. Suddenly, around 12:56AM there was the sound of approaching wind again so
I returned hurriedly to the house.
Again the wind beared down on the house from the south this time, fiercer and
stronger this time with heavy rain. Unlike LUIS in 1995, this hurricane pulsed
its winds. There was no sustained winds as such, the whole storm was gusty and
strong intermittent
winds. Like before I check ed the antenna mast and walked around the house
checking windows and doors until about 3:50AM it started lessening but yet
there were occasional outbursts from GEORGES. Then I fell asleep until 5:50AM
when the phone rang from a
nother concerned friend. It was daylight and calm. I went outside to see total
hell all over again, reminiscing from LUIS in 1995.
Just before the storm, I went up on the roof and took several pictures in a
panorama and then did so immediately after the storm so I should have those
developed by the end of the week. When power resumes I can scan and post them
on the Internet.
Alan B. Scholl
V21BF (HAM)
[Tue, 22 Sep 1998 08:08EDT] - Alan B. Scholl reporting from Antigua:
For me, all is more or less well. The only thing that happened to my
house is the water spouting fell off again! My 55' tower did not bduge an
inch even at gusts of probably 150-170mph.
I m going to write another hour by hour commenatry on the strom and email
it to everyone. In short, this was stronger and potentialy more
destructive than LUIS. It has short pulse of high wind as opposed to a
constant 140mph.
[Tue, 22 Sep 1998 07:35EDT] - Martha Watkins Gilkes reporting from Antigua:
GERT... SOMEHOW ONE OF THREE OF MY PHONELINES HAS A CRACKLY CONNECTION
AND I COULD GET LOGGED ON... THAT MAY GET CUT WITH A GUST OF WIND SO
WILL QUICKLY SENT NEWS WHILE WE CAN...AND MORE LATER IF POSSIBLE..
WE SURVIVED THE MONSTER BUT IT WAS MORE FRIGHTENING THAN EVEN LUIS..
WE ON THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ISLAND REALLY GOT POUNDED.. I HAVE ALOT
OF DAMAGE BUT THE GOOD OLD TIN ROOF PUT ON AFTER LUIS STAYED ON MAIN
HOUSE...MY GUEST HOUSE ROOF BADLY HIT ( IT WILL GET TIN NEXT TIME --THE
HECK WITH SHINGLES THAT GET PEELED OFF).. WE ARE IN A MESS-- BIG TREES
ALL OVER OUR ROADS... POWER LINES HANGING.. POWER WILL BE OFF FOR
MONTHS THIS FAR SOUTH FROM MAIN AREA... AND WHO KOWNS WITH PHONE.. THERE
ARE ONLY 9 HOUSES IN HALF MOON BAY AND 3 OTHERS ARE VERY VERY BADLY
DAMANGED... THEN NEARBY MILL REEF CLUB HAS ALOT OF DAMAGE TOO.. WILL TRY
TO GET DETAILS AND SENT MORE WHEN I CAN.. POOR LITTLE ANTIGUA..WE DON'T
DESERVE THIS AFTER JUST REBUUILDING FROM LUIS.... AIRPORT IS OPENING
THIS MORNING BUT DONT COME HERE UNLESS YOU COME TO ROLL UP YOUR SHIRT
SLEEVES AND WORK (WISH I HAD SOME HELP)...NOT A VACATION TIME..
WILL TRY TO FIND MORE DETAILS ON HOTELS/ ETC AND SEND MORE IF PHONE
LINE STAYS... THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE SENT MESSAGES OF CARE..I AM
HEARTBROKEN TO HAVE LIFE SHATTERED AGAIN AFTER REBUILDING FROM LUIS..BUT
WE HAVE TO GO ON...
[Mon, 21 Sep 1998 20:00EDT] - Just spoke to John Fuller again via his cellular phone. A great guy! It does not look good. According to him the northern part of the island got the northern side of the eyewall (area with highest winds) while the southern part had to endure the southern side of the eyewall! There is a lot of damage, roofs from houses, many trees down and across the roads, power and phone lines down (cellular up though, but I got disconnected halfway our conversation). It will take a couple of weeks he thought to restore power... There is a lot of beach erosion all around the island. The damage is not worse than Luis, but the winds seems stronger. According to him at least 130 mph (he lives about 200-300 yards from the beach). Unfortunately one fatality... Now they are working on the big cleanup. Spirits are relatively high, they are glad to have survived this beast.
Earlier reports have been moved here.
| Back to Caribbean Hurricane Page | Hurricane Guide | QHWRL | More 1998 Season | 1997 Season | 1996 Season |