They've called it divine intervention (Jamaicans are fervent believers). Rather than landing as had been expected and going through the island diagonally, the eye of the hurricane skirted the Jamaican coast without ever actually landing.
There are reports of at least five dead. Most fatalities in hurricanes are flood related and this certainely seems to be the case here - an infant was amongst those who drowned. It is still raining outside on and off and now I can also here thunder in the background. Power has not been restored anywhere - the hotel has been operating on generators. It has been announced that unless there are any unforeseen circumstances, Norman Manley International Airport will open again for business tomorrow at noon - which should mean that my flight scheduled to depart Kingston at 2240 should be able to leave the country. Fingers crossed.
For those expecting pictures, please bear with me for some time as the internet connection is not as good now and this just a post made via GPRS, the use of which I'm keeping to a minimum.
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Back online ...
The worst is over - we were asked to vacate our rooms yesterday at half eight and I spent the entire night downstairs in the lobby. I would occasionally venture to the front door - you could see a lot of debris, metal objects, trees that had been uprooted. Luckily, you meet some interesting people in situations like this and although it did seem like a long night it wasn't just a night about hurricanes. I got back into my room this morning at around half past five. I haven't opened the balcony door yet but from what I see from up here most buildings in this area have retained their roofs and there is no localised flooding here. There is a lot of debris everywhere. People are cautiously venturing out this morning, presumably rescue efforts have started in Kingston. There have been reports of some looting, but none confirmed on Jamaica radio. The Pegasus has had electricity on all night long running on a generator, the rest of the country is still without power and this will be restored "eventually".
It's time I get some proper sleep. The drapes are thick and heavy and should keep the light out! I'll try and take some photos later, but the rain is still quite heavy and it is still quite windy on this floor.
It's time I get some proper sleep. The drapes are thick and heavy and should keep the light out! I'll try and take some photos later, but the rain is still quite heavy and it is still quite windy on this floor.
Friday, September 10, 2004
Speeding up
It could be speeding up from what I am hearing on TV. The first wave is expected at lunchtime here, with the eye hitting the coast at eight this evening. It could approach Kingston first or one of the neigbouring parishes.
(The time in the UK at the moment is 1610 on Friday)
(The time in the UK at the moment is 1610 on Friday)
It's still quiet ...
It's still quiet ... it's overcast and getting cloudier, but it hasn't started raining yet. Jamaican TV has just informed us that coastal areas near St Thomas are reporting tidal surges ...
I took these pictures just an hour ago from my ninth storey bedroom in New Kingston.
If you're wondering about my safety, it seems I am in safe hands here. The hotel is hosting a number of Red Cross personnel who are here to assist in the aftermath. When it does hit I will be moving downstairs.
The small blue topped building in the trees is the Liguanea Club hotel where we used to stay. The Pegasus looks to me to be much more solid!
The Hilton is in the background, staff at the Courtleigh Hotel (in front) have used masking tape to protect the glass from shattering.
I took these pictures just an hour ago from my ninth storey bedroom in New Kingston.
If you're wondering about my safety, it seems I am in safe hands here. The hotel is hosting a number of Red Cross personnel who are here to assist in the aftermath. When it does hit I will be moving downstairs.
The small blue topped building in the trees is the Liguanea Club hotel where we used to stay. The Pegasus looks to me to be much more solid!
The Hilton is in the background, staff at the Courtleigh Hotel (in front) have used masking tape to protect the glass from shattering.
Slower approach ...
Just an hour ago, a hurricane update on Jamaican TV reported that the hurricane has now slowed down. It still is a Hurricane Force 4, but the approach is slower. The centre was expected to pass over Jamaica early afternoon Friday but this is likely to occur even later during the day. Hopefully it will speed up a bit and just move on! I can't hear any rain or wind outside as had been expected so I think I'll just try and get some sleep now.
The following map, showing the hurricane's path, is on the website on the link above and was issued this evening.
Good night!
The following map, showing the hurricane's path, is on the website on the link above and was issued this evening.
Good night!
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Stuck in Kingston, Jamaica
I'm waiting. Sitting in my room at the Pegasus hotel in Kingston, Jamaica. Waiting for the onslaught of hurricane Ivan which is expected to approach Jamaica some time during this night, with the hurricane's eye reaching Kingston around lunchtime tomorrow Friday.
First, for those who don't know why I'm out here (or just need reminding), I am working on an implementation of a student records system at the University of Technology (UTech) in Kingston. I arrived here Saturday night and have been working at the university providing training and consultancy since Monday. I was aware this was the hurricane season before I left the UK, but when I was here in the same month last year no mention was made of any hurricanes (none were remotely close to the island) so I didn't really think Jamaica was in any way susceptible. (The last major hurricane was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 which seems like a lifetime ago to me ... though certainly not the inhabitants!) A couple of weeks ago, hurricane Charlie skirted the south of the island and although the island was on hurricane warning it did not cause much damage - and I certainly can't claim to have seen any damage since my arrival. The project team at UTech had taken the necessary precautions to protect the equipment and the fairly new project building - covered computers, applied mask taping to glass windows etc - but this turned out to be unnecessary.
When I arrived on Saturday, I watched the devastation hurricane Frances was causing in Florida on CNN. It just seemed to me to be miles away and of no concern. Little did I know hurricane Ivan had started to bear down on Jamaica from the south east. It has been advancing for a few days now and we've been watching its progress on the Internet and TV.
Yesterday afternoon, the Jamaican government issued a hurricane watch - which meant hurricane conditions were to be expected in the next 36 hours. A hurricane warning was issued this morning. The Department of Education closed all schools for today and Friday - the Universities and colleges followed suit. We had a storm last night and I thought this was just an appetiser of what we could expect over the next few days. However, it was eery this morning - I woke up to a lovely, warm, sunny day. Getting to the University was a breeze. The ten minute journey to the University - which takes just over half an hour during the rush hour - took just over ten minutes for a change! We tried to concentrate on the day's planned training session, but the hurricane was always on our mind. The project team members own property, have families, and are justifiably concerned. News that Grenada was almost flattened (90% of houses affected, including an old stone prison from which all prisoners were released) was disconcerting. Some team members busied themselves taking the necessary precautions to protect the project building. I guess it was a way of taking their minds off it.
We all left the building by two. Back at the hotel, the furniture on the balcony had been moved inside. I'm on the ninth floor and if/when the hurricane hits I am told the building may sway ... I asked at reception what I was expected to do and I was told the hotel staff would issue us with instructions. If it gets particularly bad, guests will congregate downstairs.
So now I wait. I am expecting my friends Ruth and her mum Salome to visit soon. We can discuss the hurricane I suppose! That's what everyone else is doing when I was downstairs earlier, so why won't we?
Anyway, I hope to write another blog sometime tomorrow, probably before the worst of the hurricane hits. I've found this quite therapeutic. It doesn't take my mind off things, but it does help. At some stage we'll lose power I suppose, as the electricity company decides to stop power as a precautionary safety measure. But when I'm back online, you will hear from me ...
Here's some of the pictures I took this morning.
This is the project building from the outside -
Numbers down - any excuse to get out of my training session! :-)
Need to protect the computers -
Kenneth gives Tanya a helping hand -
Some useful links -
National Weather Service - Tropical Prediction Center
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management
First, for those who don't know why I'm out here (or just need reminding), I am working on an implementation of a student records system at the University of Technology (UTech) in Kingston. I arrived here Saturday night and have been working at the university providing training and consultancy since Monday. I was aware this was the hurricane season before I left the UK, but when I was here in the same month last year no mention was made of any hurricanes (none were remotely close to the island) so I didn't really think Jamaica was in any way susceptible. (The last major hurricane was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 which seems like a lifetime ago to me ... though certainly not the inhabitants!) A couple of weeks ago, hurricane Charlie skirted the south of the island and although the island was on hurricane warning it did not cause much damage - and I certainly can't claim to have seen any damage since my arrival. The project team at UTech had taken the necessary precautions to protect the equipment and the fairly new project building - covered computers, applied mask taping to glass windows etc - but this turned out to be unnecessary.
When I arrived on Saturday, I watched the devastation hurricane Frances was causing in Florida on CNN. It just seemed to me to be miles away and of no concern. Little did I know hurricane Ivan had started to bear down on Jamaica from the south east. It has been advancing for a few days now and we've been watching its progress on the Internet and TV.
Yesterday afternoon, the Jamaican government issued a hurricane watch - which meant hurricane conditions were to be expected in the next 36 hours. A hurricane warning was issued this morning. The Department of Education closed all schools for today and Friday - the Universities and colleges followed suit. We had a storm last night and I thought this was just an appetiser of what we could expect over the next few days. However, it was eery this morning - I woke up to a lovely, warm, sunny day. Getting to the University was a breeze. The ten minute journey to the University - which takes just over half an hour during the rush hour - took just over ten minutes for a change! We tried to concentrate on the day's planned training session, but the hurricane was always on our mind. The project team members own property, have families, and are justifiably concerned. News that Grenada was almost flattened (90% of houses affected, including an old stone prison from which all prisoners were released) was disconcerting. Some team members busied themselves taking the necessary precautions to protect the project building. I guess it was a way of taking their minds off it.
We all left the building by two. Back at the hotel, the furniture on the balcony had been moved inside. I'm on the ninth floor and if/when the hurricane hits I am told the building may sway ... I asked at reception what I was expected to do and I was told the hotel staff would issue us with instructions. If it gets particularly bad, guests will congregate downstairs.
So now I wait. I am expecting my friends Ruth and her mum Salome to visit soon. We can discuss the hurricane I suppose! That's what everyone else is doing when I was downstairs earlier, so why won't we?
Anyway, I hope to write another blog sometime tomorrow, probably before the worst of the hurricane hits. I've found this quite therapeutic. It doesn't take my mind off things, but it does help. At some stage we'll lose power I suppose, as the electricity company decides to stop power as a precautionary safety measure. But when I'm back online, you will hear from me ...
Here's some of the pictures I took this morning.
This is the project building from the outside -
Numbers down - any excuse to get out of my training session! :-)
Need to protect the computers -
Kenneth gives Tanya a helping hand -
Some useful links -
National Weather Service - Tropical Prediction Center
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management
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