The Caribbean Hurricane Page

Updates from the Islands

- - St.Maarten/St.Martin - -

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 23:46:44 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - My report is being filed on a beautiful
moonlight night.  The Simpson Bay Lagoon is so calm that you can walk on
it.  The Maho Reef area is bustling with tourists and the sounds of steel
band music can be heard coming from Cherri's Cafe.  The seating around the
Ice Cream Parlor is all taken.  Casino's and restaurants are busy
throughout the island.

Offices and other businesses opened today and its business as usual.  The
clean-up continues and utility crews are proceeding with their daily
assignments with restoration of electricity, water and cable TV to those
who still don't have.

Preparations were underway to make sure that the Capt. Hodge's Wharf is
ready to receive the first cruise ship passengers on Tuesday since
Hurricane Jose passed 20 miles South of us a few days ago.

The Simpson Bay Bridge has to be opened and closed manually and it takes a
little longer, but we all must have patience.  I will be getting some news
on when this problem with the bridge will be resolved.

Today Monday we had cloudy to partly cloudy skies at times overcast.  The
rain held up, but in certain parts of the island you can see that the water
is still coming down from the saturated hills.  This will continue for
several days.  

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 21:49:23 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - On Sunday the Governor General of the
Netherlands Antilles Jaime Saleh, the Prime Minister Suzy Camelia-Romer and
the Minister of Finance Russell Voges, visited the island to assess the
situation for themselves, and to meet with the Island Government.  They
were also given a tour of the island.

The Island Government will meet on Monday to assess the clean-up and to
review preliminary assessment reports. 

The Department of Public Works continues to assess the situation on the
island.  Clean-up crews continued on Sunday throughout certain districts
clearing parts of the roads.

A final assessment of damages to the public and private sectors in relation
to $ figures is still being compiled.  The Island Government is hoping to
get some financial assistance.

No reports of people being homeless were reported.  Overall one person was
killed due to a landslide in the Oyster Pond area; 125 people were treated
for very minor injuries and bruises.

Sections of the road leading to the Oyster Pond area was damaged.

All tourist related businesses will be fully operational on Monday as staff
members report to work.  Business owners will do their own assessment of
what needs to be done if they experienced any damage.   A majority of
businesses that usually open on Saturdays and Sundays were open:
Restaurants, Casino's, Night Clubs, Supermarkets, Grocery Stores, Gas
Stations, Pizzaria's etc.

The majority of residential districts have electricity and
telecommunications, however utility work crews continued on Sunday to work
on those subscribers who still did not have those essential services.  This
work is expected to continue for several days until all subscribers have
those services.

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 15:57:49 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - On Friday night the Lt. Governor Dennis
Richardson issued a mandatory decree for motorists to remain off the public
roads from Friday 10pm until today Saturday 4pm.

This measure was taken to allow clean-up crews, utility, telecommunications
and cable crews to carry out their work in getting the island back on track
from the minor damage that was done by Hurricane Jose.  The torrential
rains of Friday caused flooding damage and the clean-up is well underway.

At 4pm the madatory decree banning motorists from the public road network
would have been lifted and its business as usual.  Store owners,
supermarkets, restaurants, casino's, gas stations, pizzaria's, will be open
and doing business as usual.

Beach goers were seen already at several beaches.  The torrential downpours
came to an end Friday afternoon and today Saturday the sun was out drying
up everything.

The Princess Juliana International Airport is open for commercial traffic. 
Seas have subsided but are still a little choppy.

Throughout the day residents have been busy cleaning up their yards and
taking down their hurricane shutters.  After 4pm many people will be out on
the roads doing various errands.  On Sunday many businesses will be open
for business as well.  


Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 00:39:28 -0400

Sorry the link is http://weather.networkidl.net/gallery.html
fatigue.....blame it on fatigue.....

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 00:37:15 -0400

Follow this link for some scenes of the aftermath of JOSE
http://weather.networkidl.net/gallery.htm

We are expecting another 4 to 6 inches of rainfall between tonight and
tomorrow according to weather reports. Hopefully, and in keeping with the 
age-old tradition - the weatherman will be wrong......

Our team will try to bring you more photos of cleanup in action as this
takes place over the next few days - maybe even some shots from the french
side 

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 23:30:18 -0400

A total of 16 inches of rainfall was the official recorded amount for
St.Maarten
Many areas on the Dutch and French side experienced flash flooding due to
ponds overflowing and drainage ditches not being able to handle the
excessive amount of runoff from the higher elevations (especially where the
runoff contained debris,which blocked some water drainage systems)

There was a curfew which was lifted the previous day, and throughout the day
(today), although request were made to remain indoors to allow emergency
crews to cleanup and to ensure peoples safety from dangerous flash floods,
the roads were packed with people trying to get a glance at what was going
on.

As a result of this traffic was hectic, people were getting stuck and
required rescue efforts, which took manpower away from the cleanup and
restoration efforts. This prompted emergency management officials to
re-instate strict traffic control measures which went into effect at 9PM and
will remain until 4PM tomorrow- no vehicles on the roads other than
essential persons or special cases.

Tourists who have rental cars and are scheduled to leave tomorrow will be
provided with special shuttle services to the airport and their rental cars
will be retrieved from hotel parking services later on in the day- all
businesses will be closed tomorrow and a major cleanup effort is expected to
take place starting at 11AM when - according to weather analysis, the rainy
weather is supposed to clear up....

The airport is open for commercial flights and will be open tomorrow as well
- with special services being put in place as a contingency to assist both
visitors coming into and leaving the island, as this is a priority.

Electrical services are restored in many areas, although full electrical
power restoration (to normal levels) is not expected for another week.
Roadways are littered with rocks, and mud as a result of the mud/land slides
experienced from the rainfall. Some roads even sustained damage due to
sections which washed away under the intense pressure of the water. However
these roads are slated for repair within the next few weeks (one the weather
dries up).

The foodcenter grocery store experienced some flooding but cleanup crews are
working through the night to ensure that the store will be open for regular
service by tomorrow at 4PM when the traffic restrictions are lifted.

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 18:40:15 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - The first casuality as a result of Hurricane
Jose was a male person in the Oyster Pond area.  The death was due to a
landslide from the torrential rainfall that the surrounding islands have
been experiencing.  It has been reported that their has been 14 inches of
rainfall.

Work crews from the GEBE Utility Company have been working to restore
electricity.  The Lt. Governor Dennis Richardson announced that within
seven days 99% of the residential areas will have electricity while within
12 days the most difficult areas will be restored.

The torrential rainfall has been hampering the restoration of electricity,
but the crews are determined to restore electricity.

A special Emergency Flood Shelter had to be opened at the Raoul Illidge
Sports Complex for flood victims.  Police, Fire Department officials and
members of the Voluntary Corps were busy on Friday ferrying flood victims
to the shelter after their own homes became inundated with flood waters
from the surrounding hills and ponds.

Some reports coming in indicate that flood waters are subsiding and certain
low lying areas that were flooded are now passable.

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 14:04:42 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - Weather conditions on the island have
deteriorated in relation to torrential rain fall, and a number of roads as
a result are flooded and impassable.  Several homes have been flooded and
vehicles in certain areas are floating into drains due to the high water
level.

Residents have been advised to get off the roads.  The Lt. Governor of the
Island Territory, Dennis Richardson, has announced that the Police will
enforce a directive by order to get off the public roads.

A number of mudslides have also taken place throughout the island.  The sea
state remains bad.  The airport is open and several military and commercial
aircraft did land.  Tourists are at the airport awaiting to leave the
island.  

Department of Public Works have been hard at work clearing the trenches and
keeping them cleared.  Fire Department personnel, Police and other
emergency services are fully onhand dealing with the situation.

Several businesses have been open such as food stores, restaurants, gas
stations and hardware stores, since early this morning.

Reports coming out of the French side state that parts of Marigot is
flooded as well as parts of Grand Case.

Two vessels along the Simpson Bay Lagoon that washed shore have been pulled
back out into the Lagoon.  Damages were very minor to these vessels.


Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "louise" <louise AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 16:27:28 -0300

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 17:04:22 -0400

The island was well prepared for the coming of JOSe given only a 24-hour
period in which to do so. Preparations went camly and basically everyone
just battened down and waited for the storm to get here - which it did at
around 8-9pm it seemed. The most dangerous section portion passed us and we
were in the eye of the storm at around 11PM - that seemed to last for hours
and although weather indications suggested we would be feeling hurricane
force winds on the way out- it never happened. JOSE actually broke up and
weakened a great deal after hitting St.Maarten and once daybreak got here -
first visuals were that the damage was 95% cosmetic (downed trees, a few
fences, small debris, very few downed cables and only one or two grounded
vessels)
 
The Government had the place cleaned up by 4PM and lifted curfew as well. 
A few homes lost roofing but other than that the island was back on track
very quickly- the airport is still currently closed (only for military
flights because of the ongoing poor weather conditions). Most probably the
airport will be fully operational for commercial flights by later
tonight/early tomorrow.
 
Electric power was restored within 2 hours of the storms passing to all
vital areas where there was underground feeders- and after a quick
assessment many areas were provided with overhead power as well. Water was
restored at the same time to most areas - The FRENCH side restored power to
most of its areas during the eye passing and kept it up and running for the
most part of the storm after that.
 
Needless to say- by Saturday coming it will be business as usual for our
friendly island with small scale cleanups going on in a few areas.

• From: Gert van Dijken <gert AT vandijken.com>
• Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 10:35:26 -0400 (EDT)

The following came in by fax from Gina of Club Orient
http://gobeach.com/orient/


"
Dear friends,

Hurricane José has "passé"... :-)
A lot of wind last night, and (even
more) rain today... No damage to
speak of, we are all okay!
The airport is still closed until
further notice... keep in touch.

Greetings,
Gina Brink"


*
**
*** Gert van Dijken ( gert AT vandijken.com )
**** The Caribbean Hurricane Page - http://gobeach.com/hurr.htm
 

• From: "Paul B. Streng" <streng AT pilot.msu.edu>
• Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 08:43:29 -0400

 Good Morning

Spoke with Tony Richardson about 7AM and he reported that they weathered
the storm in good shape.  He had been up all night and right then it was
raining very hard.  He had been out and about Grand Case and things seemed
to OK.  His home and his dads home (right on the water) as well as his
shop, and guest house made it through just fine.  The electricity was still
not restored because there had been a fire on a pole that had to be
repaired.  He was going to rest a bit then go back out and do some more
investigating and give me a call at the office.  I will send another update
after that call.

All The Best

Paul

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 01:17:38 -0400

Well it is now 105 AM and we have been in the eye of the storm for over 1.5
hours. Looking at infra red imagery in motion, it looks like the ride is yet
to come. Looks like we have some seriously strong hurricane force winds
awaiting us on the way out of the EYE of JOSE.

Reports from the weather channel indicate that there are some twisters
building in the rear end of JOSE and if this is true then we are in for one
heck of a ride.

It looks like JOSE is slowing down while we are in the eye but this is
unconfirmed.

Updates from SABA and STATIA during the eye indicate that they went through
the first portion of the storm with not too many damages

So far here in SXM we have seen a lot of stripped trees and downed branches,
some damaged parked cars and very rough sees at the Marinas
We have heard reports of some boats which broke anchor and washed aground-
one particular vessel had to be evacuated with assistance from Red Cross and
Military and is now aground behind LA PALAPA center.

We also heard reports of some vehicles which got overturned but other than
that no messages of medical emergencies. Some local radio stations went off
the air due to damage on their transmitter sites. However they will be back
up by tomorrow

Power systems are all looking good from preliminary reports. There are not
too many downed lines so power should be restored fairly quickly- The
utility company claimed they would turn off power and water. Power went at
6PM but even now water is still running in some areas of the island

In contrast the French Authorities who had also turned off power, have now
restored power during the eye - it is not known whether they will maintain
power up during the passing of the last section of JOSE.

Some animated loops that we are looking at show that we rode very near the
eyewall of the storm during the first part, and it appears that the eye
widened in the process, which would explain partially the long lul we are
experiencing.

As I type this, the winds are starting to pick up again....so within short,
we should be feeling the effects of exiting the eye and re-entering the
storm system.

Next update will come as more information is known

Rgd JOHN

• From: "louise" <louise AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:27:45 -0300

• From: Elisa Cohen <bikinibeach AT wanadoo.fr>
• Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 20:40:54 -0400

Hello from windy Cul de Sac , French St Martin !!!
At 8pm the wind is blowing gusts to an estimated 55mph. Sustained winds
much lower and surprisingly very little rain. As of 3pm this afternoon
the sea at Orient Beach on the NE side had not yet reached my restaurant
at Bikini.However extremely large swells were breaking over the reef at
the entrance to the bay. The sea was very choppy and confused. Lost
electricity for short periods several times. I guess EDF is conducting
experiments ?!
No more cable TV, are they saving money ? Will stay in touch. Good Luck
everyone.

Elisa

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:37:57 -0400

This is a little off topic- and it is by no means meant as promotion 
We would like to let everyone monitoring this forum know that they can chat
with locals online in St.Maarten and find out whats happening here "blow by
blow"

go to http://weather.networkidl.net/chatroom/index.html
wait for the JAVA chatroom applet to load ( a few seconds)
then pick a nickname and click connect-

We just activated this so there may not be lots of people there yet, but we
hope we can get a few and chat with you first hand.

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 19:04:57 -0400

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 16:40:38 -0400

After considering the eratic behaviour or JOSE what I can tell you is that
the island is fairly well battened-down considering the short period of
warning and preparation time allotted.

All government facilities are prepped and ready - the new operations plan
has been put into effect and the EOC is on full alert awaiting the arrival
of JOSE-

Hotels have also implemented their emergency plans and have taken all
necessary steps to secure the well-being of all guests.
At present under the curfew condition there are only essential persons on
the roads who are reporting in any abnormalities or unfavorable conditions
to the EOC so these can be noted

The Harbour which is undergoing a massive development has been totally
secured and is prepared for the storm as is the airport- it is expected that
the surge will bring beach sand up onto the runway and as such heavy
equipment has been pre-staged at the airport to clear the runway and have
the airport open for flights within hours after the passing of the storm

As a precaution the electrical plant and water supply plant will shut down
delivery of utilities sometime later this evening depending on the weather
conditions  - these are being closely monitored to determine the necessity
for this action

All communications to the island are expected to remain in operations as
this has mostly been diverted to underground infrastructure both on island
and internationally (this is a vast improvement since LUIS)
Additionally, many key government agencies who would need international
communications have been equipped with Satellite telephone systems and
Internet connectivity.

The mood here is a calm and watchfull one - everyone is following the
directives as set by the Emergency Center - and because most of the
preparations could be done during the daytime, people were able to complete
their tasks in an orderly and calm fashion

Police and Military are already on island to assist in maintaining traffic
controls, curfew and to avoid any adversities after the passing of the
storm. The government has also established communications with the
Operations Centers of Dominica and Antigua and have been receiving reports
from those locations outlining the effects of the storm experiences when it
passed those islands.

This year it seems the internet is playing a bigger role as well - our
website http://weather.networkidl.net has recorded over 3000 hits on this
storm alone.

Of course we are also watching developents behing JOSE as these are also
important in determining what weather conditions can be expected for the
next few days after the storm.

In terms of weather conditions - it is overcast, with small showers every so
often (but dry for the most part) and light gust that last a few minutes -
this is most probably the outer-edge effects from JOSE and will change and
intensify as the storm comes closer- 

More updates will be made later as information allows.

JOHN DOVALE

• From: "Paul B. Streng" <streng AT pilot.msu.edu>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:48:34 -0400

Gert and the Group:

Just spoke with folks in Grand Case again.  They are closing shutters and
boarding windows.  Winds are picking up steadily and the sea is beginning
to roll.  They were quite busy so I didn't spend a lot of time on the phone
but told them I would phone just after the 5PM NHC update and let them know
the latest and get a sense of how it is on the island.   Looks like it's
going to be a long night on St. Martin, and all around the NE Caribbean so
lets keep them in our thoughts.   

More as I have it. 

All The Best

Paul
 

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 12:14:42 -0400

• From: "Paul B. Streng" <streng AT pilot.msu.edu>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 09:02:13 -0400

Gert and the Group:

 I spoke with Tony Richardson in Grand Case about 6:30 this morning and he
said the sky was very dark and that they were beginning to get wind gusts.
He said the sea still was relatively calm but there was an occasional
larger than normal wave.  He said that they were preparing and he was glad
that the storm was basically centered south of St. Martin and that it was
only Cat. 1 and 75 to 85 mile winds "they could handle" .  Interesting how
everything gets measured against Luis.   I'll speak with him later in the
day and post a message if there is anything new.  I tried to listen to the
maritime mobile net on 7241 this morning but could only get bits and
pieces, the topic of discussion was obviously the storm but really couldn't
get any weather reports from the traffic I heard.

More when I have it. 

All The Best

Paul
 

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 08:06:04 -0400

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 07:41:35 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - Weather conditions have deteriorated with more
frequent rainfall and wind gusts.  It seems that the Hurricane will pass
very close to the East of the island late Wednesday night.

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Gerrit" <piggy AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 23:32:50 -0400

My gut is talking to me again and telling me that José will pass to the
north of us.
don't ask me why...Or is it that I WANT to hear it, or believe that is
happening? As someone stated earlier we are 'hurricane tired', tired is not
the word. It is more like wanting to give up, feeling depressed and more
along that line. (At least that is how I feel)
As of 11 PM (Tue) José was at 15.9 N and 60 W and moving to a little more to
the NW. Just a bit more to the north and I'll sleep better.
Matthew, if you are right I'm coming to join you on the porch!!!

L8r, Gerrit

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 21:23:48 -0400

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - By mid-afternoon preparations were fully
underway by residents, visitors and business people.  The Governor
announced at about 2.30pm exactly what measures government was taking and
what residents and visitors should also do to protect themselves and their
property.

Supermarkets have been overflowing with people buying dry goods, batteries
etc.  Their were also long lines at the gas stations as people stopped by
to fill up gas tanks.  Traffic was much heavier than usual as people
shuttle back and forth making their preparations for the coming of Jose.

The Governor asked hardware stores to remain open a little longer giving
people time to purchase materials to board up their homes and businesses. 
Certain businesses are fully boarded up while other are waiting until early
Wednesday morning.

Various airlines have cancelled their flights for Wednesday while some
flights are still scheduled to depart the island on Tuesday evening.

Vessels were seen seeking shelter in the Simpson Bay Lagoon throughout  the
day on Tuesday.  Preparations have been just about completed at the Roll On
Roll Off Pier: containers that were stacked three high are now stacked two
high; those near the sea have been removed; additional pilings have been
driven into the seabed to strengthen and secure the construction area of
the new cruise pier; measures have also been taken to protect the Capt.
Hodge Wharf.   The SS Norway was in port today and the guests enjoyed their
visit to the island.  The sea state was welcoming for the tourists.

Tourists spending their vacation on the island have been preparing as well
to weather the storm and also prepare for the experience.

Schools will be closed on Wednesday; certain businesses will also be
closed.  The Governor has announced that a curfew may be applied if
necessary in order to prevent people from going out un-necessarily.  He has
also warned residents about possible flashflooding in low lying areas and
to avoid certain roads that may become inaccessible due to flooding.

A military contingent of 30 arrived on Tuesday with equipment from Aruba to
assist the local authorities in various areas.

The island has been experiencing throughout the afternoon some intermittant
showers.  The sea state remains moderately calm, but one can sense that
something is going on.  The wind speed has picked up a bit. 

Regards
Roddy

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten/Saba Web Sites: www.mrstm.com, www.mssaba.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: Tamarind Hotel <tamarind AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 14:38:23 -0400 (AST)

Sint Maarten, 19 October 1999 (2.00 pm)

Jose has been upgraded to a hurricane at 11.00 this morning. Just now
(at 2.00 PM) it is still a 75 mph hurricane. In an hour from now, at
3.00 pm, there will be a meeting in which will be decided what stepps 
Government will take (e.g. getting assistence from Aruba, etc., closing
of the airport, etc.)

It is still expected that hurricane Jose will pass South of our island.
This would mean we will not have hurricane-force winds.

I just checked out the area oround the hotel (Pointe Blanche) and I
noticed that nobody has started boarding windows.

I will keep you up-to-date.


Regards, Jelle Hamstra

General E-Mail            : info AT tamarindhotel.com

Tropical Weather Update: http://www.caribbean-weather.city-map.com

Telephone : 5995 -  24359
Fax            : 5995 -  25391
Cellular      : 5995 -   96633 (Jelle Hamstra)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• From: "Paul B. Streng" <streng AT pilot.msu.edu>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 13:12:28 -0400

Gert:

Just talked with folks at Tony's Market in Grand Case and it's raining but
no one seems concerned about the approaching storm.  They said they haven't
heard much on the radio (and I heard it playing in the background so I know
they are listening) and this mornings paper gave it very little coverage.
I shared the information from the NHC Web Page and they seemed a little
surprised.  I will call again this evening after 7PM and talk with Tony and
get another update and let you know what's happening.  

All The Best

Paul
 

• From: Tamarind Hotel <tamarind AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 08:52:12 -0400 (AST)

Sint Maarten, 19 October 1999 (8.15 am)

We just got the latest information on Tropical Storm Jose. The good news
is that it is still not a hurricane and that it is moving pretty fast.
Sint Maarten and many other islands are under a hurricane watch.

The bad news is that it is expected to get stronger in the next 24 hours.
But no reason to panic, because the maximum Sint Maarten can get is  a
hurricane 1 (74-95 mph). On the radio we don't hear too much as yet.

Later today I will give you more information about the situation on the
Island of Sint Maarten. Right now I don't have too much to say except
that I heard from some people that they have started preparing.

Regards, Jelle Hamstra

General E-Mail            : info AT tamarindhotel.com

Tropical Weather Update: http://www.caribbean-weather.city-map.com

Telephone : 5995 -  24359
Fax            : 5995 -  25391
Cellular      : 5995 -   96633 (Jelle Hamstra)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• From: "M&S" <thebrowns AT powerantilles.com>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 08:01:57 -0500

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 07:20:23 -0400

• From: "Gerrit" <piggy AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 07:05:04 -0400

Got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Watching José like you wouldn't believe! You know what they say about Latin
men... you can't trust 'em :o)

Hope José doesn't come too close. Not ready for it.
Guess we'll have to wait till Wed/Thu to find out what he's doing. Don't
like the way he is moving to me he seems pretty unstable.

L8r,
Gerrit.

• From: "dorit lehmann" <dorit AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 01:32:54 -0700

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 22:25:50 -0400

On Monday the day was sunny and warm.  Earlier in the morning we had some
dark clouds and a little rumbling of thunder.  Late afternoon and early
evening we  experienced a good down pour associated with a few rumblings of
thunder and lightning brightning up the tropical sky.

Gert's swells subsided over the weekend and several beaches were
flourishing with beach lovers.  There was some damage to the Capt. Hodge
Wharf in Philipsburg due to the powerful swells. Provisional repairs were
made on Monday and it will be back in use on Tuesday when the cruise ship
Fascination makes a port call.  The SS Norway is expected on Wednesday.  

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten Web Site: www.mrstm.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 15:49:53 -0400

Hi all,
Eventhough Hurricane Gert is several hundred miles away, we continue to
experience ground swells along coastal areas.  This will probably last for
another day or two.
Small craft and ferry services remain in port due to the sea state. 
Otherwise its another sunny day in paradise.  Partly cloudy and a scattered
shower here and there.
Everyone enjoy your weekend.
Roddy

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten Web Site: www.mrstm.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 10:36:58 -0400

Friday September 17
Hurricane Gert has speared the islands and the only experience is some
ground swells. Otherwise its nice and sunny, a little overcast, but still a
great day for the beach.
Have a nice day.
Roddy


Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant - Information Provider
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
Visit St. Maarten Web Site: www.mrstm.com
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 01:31:19 -0400

Hi Everyone,
Here on St. Maarten, many throughout Monday has been focussing theirs eyes
on TV and the local radio station concerning the progres of the Mighty
Floyd towards the US East Coast.
Many people have family and friends living and studying in Florida and
therefore it has captured the attention of many.
Gert continues on a westward track being influenced by a system to the
north for the next three days.
As the system approaches closer, our attention will move from Floyd to
Gert.
In the meantime everyone is focussed on our brothers and sisters in the
Turks & Caiscos Islands as well as The Bahamas.

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
For Saba News: www.antilleannews.net
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 10:25:00 -0400

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 01:41:07 -0400

Monday Sept 13 1.30am

Today Sunday Sept 12, we had intermittant rain squalls with a few claps of
thunder and lightning; the rough seas could not keep some sunbathers away
from certain beaches; a few small aircraft were strapped down by their
owners over the weekend just as a precautionary measure.

This evening one can notice that weather conditons are improving and this
means that the Mighty Hurricane Floyd - feeder bands -  is finally leaving
our area as it approaches closer and closer to our brothers and sisters in
the Turks & Caicos Islands as well as The Bahamas.  Sea conditions late
this afternoon started to normalize and one can expect a fine start to the
week on Monday.

However all eyes are now on Gert and we can just sit and wait and follow
the weather reports and see what happens.
To everyone, have a great week and for those in the path of Floyd, BE
PREPARED!!

Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
For Saba News: www.antilleannews.net
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 02:32:01 -0400

Saturday Sept 11 02.27am

Throughout the evening we have been getting intermittant rain, some thunder
and lots of lightning as a result of Hurricane Floyds feeder bands.  The
seas on the Southern part of the island are rough and pounding against the
beaches as the swells come in.  It is also windy this evening when compared
to earlier in the day.
During the course of Saturday small aircraft such as Winair, Liat, Air
Guadeloupe and others had to land at the opposite end of the runway at the
Princess Juliana International Airport.
Regards
Roddy



Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
For Saba News: www.antilleannews.net
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Roddy Heyliger" <heylrody AT sintmaarten.net>
• Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 01:22:11 -0400

Saturday September 11 1999
Hello All,
St. Maarten/St. Martin hasn't really experienced much from Hurricane Floyd.
 On Friday and Saturday morning, we had some small thunder storms with a
little rain which we expect are from the outer feeder bands of Floyd
passing well to the North of the islands in the North East Caribbean.

On Thursday several residents did start to take their own precautions after
noticing that Floyd was on a westerly track.  The aforementioned started to
close up their homes and business - handful did so.  According to the
managers of the large shopping centers, some people could be seen
purchasing batteries, canned food and bottled water.

On Friday the Lt. Governor of the Island Territory of St. Maarten/Chief of
the Emergency Operating Center was on radio and television advising
residents about the latest developments pertaining to Floyd.  Reisdents
were much calmer on Friday after hearing that Floyd had resumed a more west
north westerly track.

Mariners however decided not to venture out on their daily dive trips as
well as charter boats that take tourists out sailing to the neighbouring
islands of St. Barths, Anguilla and Saba.  These boats sought shelter in
the Mullet Bay Lagoon early Friday and remained there until Saturday. 



Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant
Email: medprocomm AT hotmail.com
sabagis AT hotmail.com
For Saba News: www.antilleannews.net
For Caribbean Vacancies visit: www.caribbeanjobfair.com

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 07:01:23 -0400

• From: "Matthew Oosterwijk" <hoosterwijk AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 10:39:33 -0400

• From: "Elisa Cohen" <bikinibeach AT wanadoo.fr>
• Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 10:16:06 -0400

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 10:59:07 -0400

There is not much hustle about the coming of Emily so far. People ARE
keeping a keen look at it but in my opinion (non official) I believe she
will move more eastward - resulting from sheer and other non favorable
weather conditions created by the presence of both Dennis and Cindy.

We have been getting a lot of spurious ran showers and although some people
do not like these, it is a blessing with storms such as Emily in the
vicinity - at least the rains keep the temperatures down.....

We will keep an eye on Emily and I for one expect a lot of rain when she
comes closer to us. I saw a storm analysis yesterday which indicated we were
in the 75% strike zone, and if this is accurate this means  we will surely
see some form of weather. lets just hope it is rain rain rain - we can deal
with that!

Regards
JOHN

• From: John LR Dovale <jlrdovale AT networkidl.net>
• Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 15:56:09 -0400

I still havent figured out if the rains we received this weekend came from
weather dragging behind BRET or running ahead of CINDY, but it sure rained a
lot this weekend.

I stepped out of my office in Colebay to be greeted by a 4" deep lake of
water which had accummulated - and it was still raining.
A lot of runnoff caused roads to be cumbersome to handle due to rocks and
debris which had washed onto them but all in all it was nothing serious.

Rain ditches which were cleared and prepped for hurricane season did their
jobs but were full up for the duration of the rain storm - a good indication
of what to expect when and if a hurricane comes our way.

On another note, everyone is keeping a keen eye on CINDY and whatever comes
after - it is around the time where the frequency of stormsa increases so
people are alert and pying keen attention to anything weather related. Even
watching CNN coverage of BRET brings back memories of LUIS to many people I
have spoken to - not something anyone want to relive is the general comment.

JOHN

• From: "Webmaster Mail" <jlrdovale AT megatropic.com>
• Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 20:32:15 -0400

The last few days have been a pointed reminder of the unpredictable nature
of our Caribbean weather. From a seemingly sunny day, St.Maarten has seen
several days of intense rain, thunder and lightning storms. On the dutch
side many of the billboards still remaining to be removed after our recent
local elections have met with damage from wind and rain.

The electricl storms also caused some damage to telecommunications
infrastructure which caused areas of the island to have intermittent
telephone services. The Colebay area was the hardest hit with most of the
service down for a almost 36 hours while telco engineers worked to restore
Speaking with several business and home owners it appears that the lightning
cased random electrical problems. Many people lost modems, computer power
supplies, satellite feeds and reported minor electrical problems from the
storm.
Many roads were overburdoned with runnof and road conditions have become
dangerous with the dirt, mud and small stones which were left behind.
It was also a record day for car related accidents with many people falling
victim to slippery roads.

All in all, this small weather disturbance has sent a clear indication that
this Hurricane Season is going to be one to watch. Many people have already
started their preparedness efforts by cleaning up their surroundings, slowly
stocking up on supplies etc.





-------------------------
Sincerely

John Dovale
CIO/COO NetworkIDL N.V.
Airport Blvd 95 Colebay
St.Maarten Netherlands Antilles
http://www.megatropic.com
jlrdovale AT megatropic.com

• From: "Elisa Cohen" <bikinibeach AT wanadoo.fr>
• Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 16:30:32 -0400