[...] I run the Ocean Terrace Inn on st Kitts and live on Nevis.

It is now 10:30 am on Thursday, 27 August and we are starting to feel the first real effort from Erika.

We are experiencing winds of approximately 40 mph with light rain falling. The winds seems to be erratic as it blows hard for a few minutes and then stops as if to take a breath before continuing again.

Yesterday evening around 6 pm we started to feel the first puffs of wind and although we had no rainfall, the puffs continued through most of the night. It was all much earlier than expected and I surmise it must have been caused by the very leading edge of the storm.

I imagine the winds may increase over the next hour and that perhaps the main part of the storm may be past by 2 pm today.

The sea across Basseterre Bay is calm and everyone on the island is at home, all boarded up in preparation. No one wants to suffer the fate of those two poor persons in Dominica!

Good luck to all.