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- Updates from the Islands -- - Turks & Caicos Islands - - |
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| - Don't cancel vacation plans! |
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Good morning boys and girls. For those of you tuning in
late we have all been tracking and monitoring TD, TS, "Hurricane" Joyce. This
"disturbance" (hmmm, what better name for these things?) appears to be breaking
up and dissipating, certainly enough to no longer warrant much attention from us
here in the TCI. I am well aware that many of you on the mainland watch with
anticipation and suspense the movement of these storms, owing to the fact that
they can, of course, wreak havoc on your Caribbean travel plans. This web site,
as you have all discovered, offers an amazingly accurate portrayal of exactly
what is and what may happen in the Carib, weather-wise.
As such, and based upon my having studied tracking models
of the past, here are the "Official Odds" of Joyce visiting us here in TCI: 95%
she will not, 5% chance she will. In other words your travel plans here are at
least 95% safe at this time. Of course that can change, but at this writing I
SURE wouldn't be changing travel plans on account of Joyce, which wifey Carol
has again labeled "Just another wannabe storm!"
Yes, naturally anything can happen in the next 48 to 72
hrs, but as we study the situation at this hour Joyce is MUCH less of a threat
to us now than at any previous time in her brief lifetime. For that to change
significantly, much would have to occur, and that is quite unlikely. So I have
placed a 95% "guarantee" that Joyce will not interrupt your plans here in
TCI.
For the plethora of you who have been writing to me
personally, NO problem. We are here to assist!
Dr. Steve Marek
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| - Hurricanes/Travel/Caribbean Vacations: |
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Whilst Isaac continues his romp still several days away
from even the vaguest possibility of landfall, let's review the
situation:
With the advent of the all-powerful Internet, vacationers
planning a trip to the Caribbean now have a new and most useful tool to
determine the effect, if any, that a Hurricane or other Tropical Storm may have
on their travel plans, namely this web site! So for you folks tuning into this
site for the first time, here are some useful thoughts:
1) Consider that it is generally impossible for any agency
or entity to predict for an absolute certainty just what a hurricane will
do or where it might land.
2) Hurricanes are very unpredictable.
3) Most hurricanes that could strike any Caribbean
location generally attack from the east.
4) The National Hurricane Center, the Weather Channel etc.
do not have employees working in the Carib.
5) Freelance correspondents reporting in on this site from
the various Carib Islands are very conscientious and thorough.
6) Since most hurricanes emanate from the east, it is best
to determine the future effect of a hurricane on the Island you are intending to
visit by reading the reports from the Island immediately to the
east.
7) The "Hurricane season" generally runs from August
through November.
8) Since National and International agencies do not have
employees in the Carib, the independent correspondents reporting on this web
site are your very best source for accurate and timely information.
Where we stand today:
1) Hurricane Isaac is a very powerful storm at this time.
A Category Three hurricane carries sustained winds of over 115 MPH.
2) Because of where Isaac originated
from it is our best guess, drawing from history, that Isaac will "more than
likely" NOT make landfall in the Carib. In other words, the odds are in our
favor.
3) For Isaac to make landfall he would have to head much
more west and much less north. This is not likely to occur.
4) With that said however, we here in the Carib still must
watch him MOST carefully. If Isaac does make a left, then of course we here in
the Carib could surely be affected.
5) We do not expect to have to deal with ANY landfall
possibilities from Isaac till Thursday/Friday at the earliest.
Updates as required.
Dr. Steve Marek
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| - Isaac, you're a bum! |
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So now, since I taunted and insulted Mr. Isaac, I
see he has gone from a Tropical Depression all the way up to a Category Two
Hurricane. He didn't even stop at Category One! Ouch!
I have received numerous e-mails from across the
globe suggesting I am the cause of this occurrence. And to some degree this may
be true. So am I regretful? Am I apologetic? Am I remorseful? NOPE! If
anything, I am glad. Isaac has shown himself to suffer from human deficiencies
such as revenge and vindictiveness. But this will be his eventual undoing. Yes
it could be said that he is suffering from temporary "Sea Rage!" Yes, quite
similar to "Road Rage," but adjusted of course for the present conditions. And
just as do humans who act irrationally when angered, so will foolish Isaac. My
prediction is that he may even reach Category Three status within the next 24
hours. But I also predict this "out of control" invader will "lose his mind,"
forget his original plan (to cause billions of dollars of damage in the Carib),
and make a wrong turn over the course of the next four days. Yes, that is what I
predict.
Now had Mr. Isaac been a savvy storm and not
subject to the human failings of revenge and vindictiveness, he would have
stayed a Topical Depression, snuck up on us, quickly gathered some much needed
fuel whilst we were sleeping and clobbered us when we least expected it. But he
didn't. He is acting as a teenager. He obviously flunked "Hurricane 101."
Foolish fellow, this Isaac! What he has done is akin to a bank robber calling
Chase Manhattan and announcing that he will "stop over to rob the bank in a
couple hours." Geeeesh, Isaac, you are a dope. I am not impressed.
Apologize to this overstuffed Bag of Wind? Nope,
not me! Ha Ha!
Updates as required.
Dr. Steve Marek
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| - Hello there Mr. Isaac!! |
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Good morning Tropical Storm, Depression, Obsession,
Impression, Hurricane, Incursion, Tropical Wave Isaac, or whatever it is you are
labeling yourself this fine morning! I hear you are slowing down in your travels
but picking up some much needed wind speed so that possibly you will soon be
referred to as a full Hurricane. A "Full Hurricane?" You want to be labeled a
"Full Hurricane?" Why is that, Mr. Isaac, I humbly ask. Do you have an
inferiority complex? You mean just being a Tropical Depression is not exciting
enough for you? Are you lacking in self-confidence? How long has this been an
issue in your life? Did your parents fail to compliment you as you progressed
through your early schooling? Did your classmates per chance ridicule you for
some reason? Did that High School blonde bombshell reject your invitation
to attend the annual "Big Wind Hop?" Well I don't blame her. After all, you are
indeed "Full of hot air!"
Anyway, young fellow, rest assured that we will be
tracking your sneaky butt as you progress N.W. from your current location. We
expect you, Mr. Blowhard, sometime around next Friday or so, and we will be
super-ready for you.
Now a word to the wise about making any attempt to
annoy us here in the Turks and Caicos: Do NOT roar too far inland through the
Dominican Republic as your predecessors have done, or those mountains will make
a mole hill of you just as they did to Hurricane Debby, which wifey-Carol refers
to as a "Wannabe Storm!"
Updates as required.
Dr. Steve Marek
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| - Depression? Recession? Obsession? |
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Monday, Sept 18,2000, 11:45 AM.
Coral Gardens Condos, third floor
penthouse.
Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, TCI
Facing due north.
So now I see some experts are suggesting that as Tropical Depression #12
passes through the Dominican Republic (D.R.) it has fallen from a certain
status. Then they say it may re-form and be called a Tropical Depression again
and re-claim its name Tropical Depression #12. Or maybe then soon be called
"Tropical Storm Helene," or something like that. Well down here in the Turks and
Caicos Islands (TCI), we're really not concerned with what they call it, we are
much more concerned with what effect, if any, this storm may have on the
islands. Now I guess if they end up calling it a "depression" again then we will
load up on Valium or Zoloft. If it should become a *full-fledged* Tropical Storm
and even receive an official nomenclature such as Helene, then oh my, that
sounds very foreboding, and as such, we may have to switch from Zoloft to
something much more powerful such as Prosac. And good heavens, should they label
it something even more threatening than Tropical Storm Helene, then we will have
to run out and add some Thorazine to our medicine cabinets! But in the meantime
we won't concern ourselves with suitable appellations, but rather concern
ourselves with what we should expect.
Since we are basically north of the D.R. our hope here is that the
mountains in that country will calm things down and we won't receive much of
anything in the way of obnoxious weather. For now however, we are prepared, and
are all watching very closely. It is our best guess here that any ill-effects
from whatever this weather invader is called, should start affecting us
somewhere between 6PM EDT and midnight, or so.
Conditions here at this hour are: Temp: 87 F. Humidity 58%. Winds: Much
stronger than usual, about 18 to 20 MPH from the East. Occasional gusts around
22 MPH. Partly sunny skies dot the landscape, but it has surely become much more
cloudy in the last hour.
And oh yeah, wifey Carol went down the beach earlier (clad in her skimpy
dental-floss bright neon yellow bikini) to the motion picture company shooting
"Jungle Juices" starring Robert Wagner and Morgan Fairchild. They said she could
be an extra. (Recall yesterday that they flat-out rejected me altogether). But
when they refused to give her what she wanted (she demanded $50,000 for the day
plus 3% of the total gross) she said "No Deal!" Ha! That's what they get for
rejecting me!
Updates as required.
Dr. Steve Marek
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| - Storm? What storm? |
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Sunday, Sept 17,2000, 11:15 AM.
Coral Gardens Condos, third floor
penthouse.
Grace Bay Beach, Providenciales, TCI
Facing due north.
No hurricane, no storm, no tropical depression, no
tropical recession, no tropical wave, no typhoon, no tornadoes, no heavy winds,
no lightning, no precipitation, no nuthin'!!!
Other than a slightly higher wind speed than normal
(about 15 MPH from the East), nothing of any consequence to report from here at
all. Sorry, nothing exciting happening here. Just another mundane day of 88
degrees F and humidity of 50%, beautiful sugary white sand and a bunch of
snorklers immersed in that huge blue/green mass called the ocean.
Oh yeah, there is some well known motion picture
crew filming a movie down the beach aways. Something called "Jungle Juice,"
featuring Robert Wagner, Christopher Walkill, and Morgan Fairchild. I asked them
if they needed any extras, and they told me to "Hit the
Street!" Oh well, so much for my big chance
at grabbing my twenty minutes of fame. Sorry Andy Warhol! Hmmmm, maybe they'll
let wifey Carol appear in the movie. She's much more attractive than me. Yeah,
think I'll get her to don one of those skimpy bikinis of hers which look like
dental floss, run down there with her in tow and see if they'll bite. See you
all later..
Dr. Steve Marek
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| - Debby is a No-Show!! |
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Debby is a Party-Pooper! Here we were, all set, and Debby was a no-show. Didn't even have the decency to call ahead to cancel. No class! :-) So around 7 PM last night I went out for an evening jog. It was still very very windy. I observed that the sand looked different. Looked like a movie set for "Lawrence of Arabia." But other than that, nothing looked different. I came upon Beaches, the huge resort. Some of the guests had returned to the beach in lounge chairs. Good sign! Then I happened upon a lady from Europe who was sitting in a chaise lounge. She was topless. "Is the storm over?" she asked me in a foreign accent. "Yes ma'am, I believe so." "Will it be sunny tomorrow, sir?" "Yes ma'am, I believe so." "What about tonight sir, what's the forecast for tonight?" "Mostly dark ma'am, I think." So it's back to "business as usual" for us here in the TCI. No storm, no damage, no flooding, no appreciable rain, no messy clean up ahead for us. So what have we discovered? 1) The various International agencies, especially The Weather Channel, do a pretty darn good job of predicting the path of a hurricane, but in the words of TCI Governor Jones "Hurricanes are extremely erratic and unpredictable." In fact they are! 2) Though we here in the TCI surely avoided any conflict with Debby, we certainly cannot fall into the trap of "false security" and must again act in a "State of complete preparedness" should we get word that we are again threatened by such a storm in the future. 3) The Internet (as if we didn't ALREADY know it), is THE best medium to exchange information, warn each other and assist each other. There is simply NO better way! 4) We who have access to the Internet must share our findings with those who are not online. 5) The local radio station here, 105.9 FM did a very good job of keeping us updated and delivered to us the speech of Governor Jones. 6) Turks and Caicos received a ton of free International press. As Liz Taylor once said: "Say anything you want to about me, but just spell the name right!" 7) This web site set up by Gert van Dijken was a Godsend! 8) I made dozens of new friends and contacts who e-mailed me. Thank you. 9) Though no location in the Carib is ever "hurricane-proof" the history of the TCI indicates that most hurricanes pass through the DR and miraculously seem to avoid us on a regular basis. 10) Weather upheavals, or in this case an "impending upheaval" seem to bring out the best in humankind as we tend to band together and work to assist each other. Good stuff! So are we disappointed here that the storm missed us? Most of us are very relieved. Most of us except wifey Carol, that is. She's sitting over there in the corner muttering to herself and complaining that she missed her big chance to capture all of this on her new, still unused, fancy-dan camcorder. She's disappointed that she won't get her big chance to appear on International TV showing the world her film clips of a hurricane and doing her imitation of her idol, the famous Chinese weather gal "Hoccasionally Wong." "Maybe next year Carol-honey!" And me? Well it would appear that my two day stint as the "Official Internet Storm Reporter for the TCI" has come to an end. So I guess I'll just settle back down in front of the computer and wait for the stock market opening bell. Risky as the Market might be, it's still more predictable than hurricanes. Bye!! |
| - Oh say, Debby, you still out there? |
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Coral Gardens, Grace Bay Beach, Provo, TCI, 4:25PM EDT Temp: 87 degrees F Humidity: 50% Wind: VERY strong from the East at about 25 MPH. Occasional gusts much higher. Well, you've heard the expression: "Suppose you held a party but nobody came?" It may well transpire that all of our extensive preparations here at TCI may have been for naught. It appears at this time that Tropical Storm Debby has not only weakened as it passed through the mountainous regions of the Dominican Republic (D.R.), but has also decided to head West and not North. If Debby maintains that current path then very likely we will be spared almost all the potentially deleterious effects of both a hurricane as well as a Tropical Storm. Keep in mind that as Governor Jones from the TCI reminded us all this AM, hurricanes and Tropical Storms can be very erratic and unpredictable. It is entirely too soon for us Islanders down here to raise the Victory Flag. We are not "out of the woods" for sure yet. But there can be no question that Debby's most recent actions have at least given us strong indications, that at least for now, tend to suggest She is no longer heading directly for us. Her movement further West and not North could well mean that we will not experience Her at all as she heads towards Fla. For us to receive any substantial impact from Debby today or tonight would require that She suddenly make a very sharp Northern turn, and that is seeming quite unlikely at this time. So was all the preparation for naught? Well of course not. One can never be too careful when dealing with the likes of an impending hurricane. So here we sit with our party hats, balloons, streamers, and a huge cake, all the while truly hoping our uninvited guest chooses to vanish into thin vapor. And unless She makes that sharp right turn, we'll just save the party equipment for another day. We will continue to monitor this situation very carefully over the next several hours, just in case. But it has long been the history of the TCI that the vast majority of hurricanes and Tropical Storms pass through the D.R. first and when they do, they are, for a plethora of reasons quite unlikely to "attend our party." Good, stay away. More cake for Carol and I! And speaking of Carol, the poor kid seems a bit disappointed. She spent the last four hours practicing with her new camcorder fully expecting to become the TCI's version of an "Ace Weather Channel Reporter." She was hoping to capture on film a few horses flying past our third story balcony, or perhaps an errant oil truck zipping by at 40 feet. "Sorry Carol sweetie, maybe next year!" |
| - Debby weakening? Don't be fooled!! |
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Coral Gardens, Provo, TCI: Noon EDT Temp: 86 degrees F Humidity: 59% Winds from the east at approximately 15 to 20 MPH. A recent weather bulletin just released indicates that Hurricane Debby has been reclassified as a "Tropical Storm" rather than a "Category One hurricane." This is based upon the fact that the sustained winds near the core have slowed from 75 MPH to a "mere" 70 MPH. Are you kidding me? THAT'S a reason for consolation? Not hardly! My friends, call it a full blown hurricane with 75 MPH sustained winds or call it a tropical storm with 70 MPH sustained winds and either way, you have a problem on your hands. And this isn't just me making these comments. At 11:30 AM EDT the Governor of the TCI, Mr. Jones, made a desperate plea to all inhabitants of the Islands to "Please get moving and prepare NOW! Do not wait. Shutter your windows immediately." He further added that on his drive down to the radio station in Grand Turk he saw shutters on many windows but also witnessed many shutters stored against buildings and uninstalled where they need to be. He was noticeably distressed by this occurence! Four times he literally begged the populace to NOT take this storm lightly, reiterating that hurricanes are extremely unpredictable and that sustained winds of 70 MPH are hardly reason for joy. His point was that 70 MPH now could be much more later. And of course he's correct! Furthermore just because the sustained winds are "merely" 70 MPH doesn't negate for a fleeting second that gusts can easily reach close to 100 MPH. Now some good news: 1) I again travelled to the IGA supermarket. Very few shoppers, no panic, well stocked shelves, and a general attitude of calm. 2) Even more importantly I drove down to Cable and Wireless, the Country's sole provider of telephone and Internet services. I interviewed one of the Company's lead tecnhical experts, a young but VERY highly qualified Mr. Ellery James. Mr. James told me it would take a minimum of at least 120 MPH sustained winds to adversely affect phone service here at TCI. His best guess is that phone service should not be interrupted. He further explained that even in the very unlikely event that phone service was temporarily interrupted, the existence of my 64k dedicated line, used expressly for Internet correspondence is even less likely to be affected. So there is an excellent chance that I will remain in a position to deliver storm updates. * At noon EDT it is estimated that Hurricane Debby is approximately 125 miles S.E. of Grand Turk and most decidedly heading this way. My estimation is that we will experience the impact at somewhere between 5 PM EDT and 8 PM EDT. I am impressed at the countless number of e-mail transmissions I have received from both well wishers, as well as many who have relatives, close friends and property here at TCI. I will endeavor to continue to answer each such e-mail personally. During times like these, we must all stick together and assist each other as we battle Mother Nature! Respectfully submitted, Dr. Steve Marek |
| - Oh my. The scene sure has changed! |
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Reporting from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, North shore, Coral Gardens Condos, on Grace Bay Beach, third floor penhouse. Here is what it looks like today, tomorrow AM remains to be seen: http://www.coralgardens.com I headed out this AM for my routine morning jog. But before I could even hit the beach I was approached by Mr. Ron Karnehm, the dedicated owner and creator of the Coral Gardens. It appeared he hadn't had much sleep. I soon discovered why: He and his crew had spent copious hours removing anything and everything that wasn't bolted down. He announced that all the office computers had been taken from the ground floor office to the safety of the second floor "Hurricane Command Center," as he referred to it. He certainly appears to be prepared. As I was about to begin running he said: "Better save some of your energy for the possible clean-up tomorrow AM." Hmmmm, figuring he knew much more than me about these matters I decided to cut down my usual one hour jog to a mere half hour. As I headed past the pool to the sand I observed that Ron and his crew had submerged dozens of chaise lounges into the water. I guess he figures no self-respecting hurricane can overturn an in-ground huge pool. Hope he's right! Heading east down the beach my next stop was Beaches, the huge resort. NOT a SINGLE sunbather to be seen. A virtual ghost town. No chaise longes, no tiki huts, no boats. The only sign of life was a few workmen filling up sand bags with the one commodity we have much of down here, namely white powdery sand. Now just what they had in mind for these hastily created little monsters, I hastened to ask. But it sure didn't seem too promising. At that point I decided to forget about exercise. I better get back home to my balcony and start tying down anything that Debby might want to ship to the Bahamas for me at no charge! I'm going to head out now to Cable and Wirelss and interview those folks as to what we can expect here this evening. Also, it has been reported that all Government workers of the TCI have been informed not to report to work till further notice. Hurricane Debby is now estimated to be just 135 miles southeast of Grand Turk, and headed our way. We anticipate that this "Unwanted visitor" will arrive on the scene somewhere between 5PM EDT and 8PM EDT, today, Wednesday, August 23. More updates later. As usual, please feel free to e-mail the undersigned for local information. Dr. Steve Marek |
| - Only Ten hours to face our fate! |
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7:45 AM EDT, Wednesday, August 23: Temp: 81 degrees F Hunidity: 72% Wind: From the East at about 10 MPH Sky: Sunny, some broken clouds Hurricane Debby has slowed to 16 MPH from Her previous speed of 18 MPH to 22 MPH. At her current speed we estimate that She will visit us at approximately 5PM to 8PM EDT today. Much of Her wrath upon the Turks and Caicos Islands should be determined by what happens to Her as she passes through the Dominican Republic (D.R.). In the past, hurricanes seem to have lost some strength as they pass through the mountainess regions of the D.R. Whether or not that will be the case with Debby remains to be seen. If Debby shifts slightly North within the next ten hours it is possible for Her to even gain in intensity, thus threatening us with additional potential damage. Debby's next visit after passing us would appear to be the Bahamas. As such, we suggest that folks residing in the Bahamas and/or having relatives or property in the Bahamas monitor our situation here very carefully. We will of course be reporting our progress to the world through the venue of this very valuable web site by means of the Internet. Presuming of course that we have adequate means to do so, meaning functioning telephone lines and some semblance of power. We are equipped here with many computers, three of which are battery-powered laptops. Therefore we anticipate that our ability to report from here will be essentially mandated by Cable and Wireless' ability to maintain phone service. Additionally, we are equipped with a dedicated 64k network connection that may function even if phone service is interrupted. American Airlines now reports that it has cancelled the flight scheduled to leave here for Miami Thursday at 8AM, in addition to all other flights originally scheduled in and out of Providenciales International Airport today. Sky King, the local carrier is still operating at this time. Those requiring further local updates may feel free to contact the undersigned. More updates later. Dr. Steve Marek |
| - Suddenly, the mood has changed! |
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9:45 PM EDT Temp: 84F Humidity: 74% This morning the mood here was essentially "I doubt it will hit us, those hurricanes seldom do." Tonight it was "Uh oh, better buy some supplies SOON!" And that they did. I was at the major supermarket (IGA) at 7PM EDT. Never have I seen such a huge crowd. I interviewed many of the locals. They were all stocking up in expectation of the worst. Most seemed fully certain that we would be hit for sure. The manager commented that the store was quiet till 5PM, then all of a sudden it exploded with customers. Surprisingly the shelves are still well-stocked. But for how long, we don't know. My next stop was the Texaco gas station. A three car back up. Never seen that before. The small percentage of Internet users here (about 8% of the population) were not at all encouraged by this: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT07/AL0700P.GIF Observe that we have now entered that orange sphere. Not good! Best estimates are that the Turks and Caicos Islands will be struck by Hurricane Debby at approximately 6PM EDT to 9PM EDT Wednesday evening. In fact the current track indicates a direct hit! American Airlines reports as of 9PM EDT that ALL flights in and out of Providenciales International Airport have been cancelled for Wednesday, August 23. Obviously American Airlines feels the probability for "Extreme" weather exists and does not wish to park a multi-million dollar plane at an unprotected airport. Again, an ominous sign! My wife is from California and Arizona. Me? I'm a city boy from Manhattan, NYC. Neither of us have ever experienced a hurricane. Carol sees this as basically an excellent photo-opportunity and has dug out the new, still unused, fancy-dan camcorder I bought her last Christmas. She said she wishes to capture the entire thing on film. Hmmm, I hope her camera is water proof! More pragmatic than Carol, my hope is that the darn thing makes a 90 degree right turn and heads out to sea! We have received dozens of e-mail transmissions from those very concerened about friends or property they have here in the TCI. Please feel free to contact the undersigned by e-mail at any time for whatever reason. More updates soon. Dr. Steve Marek |
| - Aug. 22 2000 |
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Grand Turk, Tues. Aug. 22, 9:00am, the sun is out but you can notice a difference in the "feel" of the weather. The hammers & saws have not started yet, but I suspect by day end they will be in full tilt. We will be trying to look after a few boats in the next several hours and get the sandbags, etc. organized. Will be updated as time allows. At least we don't have our boat to worry about & we will be land-lubbed this season. 3:00pm All the boats are in harbor, everybody is probably in good shape for a minimal hurricane. Some of the moorings are rather old, ours included, so lets hope Debby remains minimal. It is awful quiet around here though. Hope the slight swing to the north does not put people off guard. We hope anyone in Debby's path stays safe and pray for rain at least. Best Regards, Kirk Graff Kirk tciyama AT tciway or crew AT captnkirks.com |
| - Turks and Caicos reporting in! |
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Greetings. It is now 1:55 PM EDT. I am located on the Island of Providenciales, the most inhabited island of the Turks and Caicos. Our situation at this hour: Mild breeze from the East. Temp: 89 degrees. Humidity: 53%. Our expectation is that we may well be directly in the path of Hurricane Debby. However, there is no panic here, whatsoever. Surprisingly the supermarkets are as well stocked as any other day here. Banks and office complexes are backing up their computers. There are no immediate plans for any gov't shutdowns or airport shutdowns at this time. The Turtle Cove Marina however, is on alert and re-rigging all boats. The general mood here is one of calm and expectation. I personally live in a penthouse condo (third floor) on Grace Bay, just 100 ft. from the ocean. My Condo association (Coral Gardens) is taking preliminary steps for "Hurricane Intervention," inclusive of, but not limited to, evacuation plans should the waves escalate over two to three feet. Low level flooding here is a potential concern. Interestingly, those of us with Internet access are by far the best informed and are passing on whatever storm updates we discern to non-Internet users. My wife and I have 8 computers networked, inclusive of two battery powered laptops as well as both 56k modem hook-ups and a 64k dedicated line. Strangely, the Turks and Caicos seems to have escaped almost all tropical storms/hurricanes throughout the years, and as such, seems rather "panic-free." "Passive Concern" is the operative mindset here at this hour. Of course that could change in the ensuing hours between now and tomorrow. More updates as necessary. Dr. Steve Marek |
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