After guessing at what Irene may have been up to, the story can be told. It was definitely 'come close, let's touch.'
The islands in the chain took a lashing from the winds and stinging rains of Irene yesterday, last night and most of the morning. From about 1:00 this morning until about 5:30, Providenciales was pelted with strong hurricane force winds and rains coming down in sheets. One report is that someone on the ridge in the South Dock area recorded a wind gust of around 116 mph (shortly after 8 pm).
Once the winds started out of the east in the early hours of the morning, the water got piled onto the Caicos bank and began pouring over the southern coast of Providenciales. Sea water covered the road near the bypass to Five Cays in the vicinity of SmithCo. gas station and the round-a-bout to Five Cays, cutting off passage to Five Cays, South Dock, Sapollida Bay and Chalk Sound. Flood waters covered the entire downtown area and flowed west into Kew Town. The canal adjacent the road to Discovery Bay and Cooper Jack Hill, overflowed its banks and hid the sections of the road from view. Venetian Road, in the area of South Side Marina,
was also covered by sea water pouring in from Lake Sahara (central Turtle Tail). Sea water in the Caicos Marina and Shipyard area breached the bank and flowed into the Long Bay Hills Canal. Most of the usually dry ground in that area was under water. It is estimated that the storm surge must have been 6 feet during high tide.
Several roads are flooded with up to 18 inches of water (water was as deep as 24 inches in some areas). In the Long Bay Hills one section of the the road looked like a canal of approximately 500 feet in length. There is one confirmed report of severe damage to a roof in the Five Cays area. Shrub and twigs are scattered along some roadways and trees are down in some sections of the island. There are no reports of significant damage to buildings and, at this time, there are no reports of injuries sustained as a result of the hurricane.
Amazingly, a significant portion of the island had electricity, telephone, cable and internet access throughout the strong winds of Irene. Residents in Blue Hills, on the northwestern coast of Providenciales, were without electicty since yesterday afternoon. Portions of Five Cays were also without electricity since yesterday. Some residents are now reporting that city water is unavailable.
The flooding associated with Irene will probably be the thing that will be remembered for a while. North Caicos reported heavy rainfall throughout the passage of Irene and rain continues at the time of writing this report - a few trees are down across the island and this may be the case for Middle Caicos as well. Grand Turk reported very strong winds and rain. Flooding is also an issue on Grand Turk - there are a few trees down but no major damage to homes and other buildings. Reports are that some residents on Grand Turk spent the night without electricity as a result of the strong winds.
A video link of the situation on Providenciales will be made available later this afternoon.
I trust our friends and families in the Bahama islands have taken the necessary precautions and are well prepared for Irene's visit.
Good night Irene. It's time to go!
