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The Caribbean Hurricane PageUpdates from the Islands
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Updates on the recovery progress of hotels and businesses in Antigua & Barbuda can be found on one of Nick Maley's websites: http://1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews (Updated daily)
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 22:01:23 -0400
From: Nick Maley (maleyn@candw.ag)
The latest update about post hurricane georges is now posted at
http://1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews
We have gathered a lot of info about most hotels although a few are still
unresponsive. The email I've gotten from travel agents and tourists has
underscored the need that this growing site fills. New updates about
twice weekly. Newsletter available.
The latest has detailed information about Royal Antiguan, Galley Bay, St.
James and English Harbour. By the week-end there will be more photos of
post Georges Antigua too.
regards Nick
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1998 00:02:58 -0400
From: Nick Maley (maleyn@candw.ag)
Update 0004 is up at http://1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews/index.html and
provides news on the conditions at Royal Antiguan Hotel, THE INN at
English Harbour, Rex Halcyon Cove, Galley Bay & St James, Dive Antigua,
Crabbs Marina and the hotels on Dickenson & Runaway Bay. Theres also a
report from the High Commissioner in London of missleading reports about
Antigua's damage.
Nick Maley
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 14:12:40 +0400 (GMT)
From: Alan B. Scholl (scholla@candw.ag)
Subject: Power is back...
Hi,
Well APUA (Electricity) is moving swiftly. We got back power last night
after 13 days of noisy environmentally unfriendly and very costly
generator power. Water is back and although there are outages it is
business as usual. So things are looking up overall. Hats off to the guys
as they now have most of St.Johns and many other areas "lit up".
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1998 23:25:37 -0300
From: John Fuller (fullerj@candw.ag)
Subject: GEORGES
no rest for the weary (or wicked?) nice stuff coming our way-hope some
rain.my mother's little hotel on beach on n. coast really trashed.been
there since 1942-now not much.highest seas on n. coast in living
memory.wave heights on shore at least 10 feet!sea came into rooms-floor
level 10 feet above normal sea level.i was born there 1946 and never seen
anything like it. reliable windspeed indicator read gust at 167mph.thank G.
only 4-5 hours of it.
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 09:18:48 -0400
From: Nick Maley (maleyn@candw.ag)
Subject: News
The third update at http://1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews will be
posted latter today with news abour Mango Bay Hotel,
Tradewinds Hotel & Beachcomber Hotel
Nick
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 23:46:22 -0400
From: Nick Maley (maleyn@candw.ag)
Subject: AntiguaNews update
AntiguaNewsletter 0001 From Nick Maley, Island Arts Antigua
To subscribe to this newsletter email AntiguaNews@CineSecrets.com or
visit http://1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews
=========================
I have to write this very quickly as we are preparing our downtown
gallery for the return of Monarch of the Seas on Thursday and Norwegian
Sea tomorrow. Its a token of Royal Caribbean's confidence in the good
condition of the island that they are bringing in a $300M ship so soon.
After hurricane Luis they waited 3 MONTHS!
I picked up some after hurricane photos today and will start putting them
online soon. They were processed courtesy of Benjies Photo center and
Brown's Bay Villas. They clearly show that damage here is not that bad. I
took several wide shots that show how few houses have serious damage. The
shots of Jolly Harbour are so nice that it's hard to believe the storm
was here only a week ago.
================
The official word from the tourist office about our hotels is pretty
meager but I will add "observations" in due course. Here is what they say
(with a few comments).
Antigua Village
Minimal damage. OPEN
Allegro Pineapple Beach Hotel
Minimal damage to 40 rooms, in the process of cleaning up dining area
which was hardest hit from water damage. OPEN
Antigua Beachcomber Hotel
Some rooms sustain damage and are closed. OPEN
Blue Waters Beach Hotel
Minimal damage, mainly water. Opening 1 December, 1998
Club Antigua
Minimal mainly water damage. Opening 21 November, 1998
Curtain Bluff Resort
No structural damage, property will be open as scheduled. Openning 17
October, 1998
Coco's
Closed for refurbishing
Dickenson Bay Cottages
No damage report. OPEN
Galleon Beach Club
Some water damage. To open within 2 months.
Galley Bay
No structural damage. All buildings intact. Little or no roof damage.
Good amount of water damage, property will need to ^"dry^' out. Opening 1
October, 1998
Halcyon Heights
Minimal structural damage, hotel remains operational. OPEN
Hawksbill Beach Resort
Some structural and water damage. To open within 2 months.
HBK Villa Rentals/Jolly Harbour Beach
No structural damage, mainly water. OPEN
Heritage Hotel
Fully operational, some water damage to air conditioners. OPEN
The Inn at English Harbour
Some damage, repairs necessary. To open within 2 months.
Joe Mike's Hotel Plaza
Fully operational
Jolly Harbour
Water damage, plans to re-open within a few days.
Mango Bay Hotel and Beach Club
Minimal structural damage, currently operational. Property to confirm if
they will close. OPEN
Marina Bay Beach Resort
No water or structural damage reported. OPEN
OPBM Time Sharing - Jolly Harbour
Minimal damage. To be open in one week
See my report tomorrow
Piggotsville Hotel
Operational. OPEN
Rex Halcyon Cove
Property closed today (Sept 23) until further notice. Closed until
further notice.
(Sounds bad doesn't it? I was there and only 4 or 5 rooms appear to have
lost their roofs. The pool was drained already for refilling. The grounds
contained a lot of garden debris that could be cleared in a matter of
days. Their beach is perfect..... Nick)
Rex Blue Heron
Property flooded, closed until further notice. Opening date forthcoming.
(But the beach looks wonderful!)
Royal Antiguan
No damage, will remain operational. Some windows in lobby broken.
Damage to landscaping. OPEN
(These guys did a great job of repairing their properties after LUIS. I
heard no complaints, and I talk to thousands of tourists at Island Arts.
I expect conditions there will be good when they re-open.....Nick)
Sandals (Antigua) Resort & Spa
Minimal damage. Mainly cosmetic. Hotel will close for repairs due to
water damage. Opening 1 December, 1998
(What I see of the hotel is mainly roof damage facing east. The grounds
are already in above average condition. I feel sure that when they open
they will be in very good shape. They already look in better shape than
some places that are open. Their beach is perfect..... Nick)
Siboney Beach Club
Fully operational. OPEN
Sunsail Club Colonna
Minimal damage. Opening 7 November, 1998
St. James^"s Club
No major structural damage some buildings lost portions of their roofs.
Quite a bit of water damage. Property will be closed for at least 30
days. Opening 21 October, 1998 (tentative)
Stephendale Hotel
No structural damage, but no electricity. OPEN
==============
HALF MOON BAY BEACH Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 08:42:02 -0300
This frank report from MARTHA WATKINS GILKES (gilkesm@candw.ag)
Organization: FANTA SEA ISLAND LIMITED OF ANTIGUA, WEST INDIES on debris
at Half Moon Beach. This is a spectacular beach but the hotel that was
there was a fatal victim of LUIS in 1995. Consequently the beach has no
one immediately clearing the debris like beaches with operational hotels.
"NICK... a short report... will be back to you on MILL REEF later..
The biggest problem with the beach: TREE DAMAGE... many uprooted... and a
lot of garbage that has washed up - both man made and seaweed.... this
will have to be cleaned up somehow...AND WILL BE sooner or later. The
beautiful white sand is STILL THERE although there are some rocky areas
which will probably be covered over in time. ... still be one of our most
beautiful beaches and certainly by "the season", will be ready to be
enjoyed by the tourists and locals alike."
==============
"don elmore" (aboardrf@hotmail.com) reports on the conditions at Aboard
Refrigeration a company specializing in marine refrigeration for our
extensive yachting community
"Dear Nick,
Aboard Refrigeration will be in full operation on the 12th of October. We
sustained only a little flooding which happens frequently anyway due to
plumbing problems.
We will do what we can to let the world know we will be ready for the
tourists during the season.
Thanks again.
Eileen and Don"
===============
Tomorrow... Jolly Harbour.
eTales.com
CineSecrets.com
Island Arts Galleries
1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews
Antigua & Barbuda Link Directory
& others: http://1-by-1.com/WebPages
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 00:08:02 -0400
From: Nick Maley (maleyn@candw.ag)
I've just put up a page with updates from hotels and businesses in
Antigua & Barbuda about the recovery progress here. It will be updated
daily, (for a while at least). You will find it at
http://1-by-1.com/AntiguaNews
I've also created an AntiguaNewsletter for those who want to be kept
informed of updates......... mailto:AntiguaNews@CineSecrets.com
New growth here astounds me. I cut down my fallen banana trees and they
have sprouted 15 inches in a week! Power is just 200 yards from my house
now. Maybe tomorrow.........
Nick
maleyn@candw.ag
CineSecrets.Com
Island Arts Galleries Antigua
Antigua & Barbuda Link Directory
& others: http://1-by-1.com/WebPages
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 19:03:28 -0300
From: John Fuller (fullerj@candw.ag)
Subject: Barbuda
barbuda is fine little or no damage.they were well prepared.i panicked them
all as early as friday.the microwave dish on antigua for their phone link
is down-will be up soon.
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:54:26 -0400
From: John Marvin (marvins@candw.ag)
Barbuda was not hit as hard as Antigua. There was some damage but most of the
damage was done to the small wooden houses. St Kitts got hit really hard and
Montserrat was spared from much damage. I was told that only one roof on the
whole island was lost. Here in Antigua power is being restored at a steady
rate but not in our area. We are relying upon a generator to send and receive
e-mails. Here is a copy of a letter that I sent out:
Praise God and thank you for your prayers!
We made it through hurricane Georges. We made an area downstairs and
tucked away during the storm. The heavy winds started at 7:30 p.m. Sunday
night and lasted until about 8:00 a.m. Monday morning. David & Phillip slept
through it all. We are glad that it was so short. The last hurricane that hit
Antigua lasted almost 3 days! All the vegetation around our house has been
blown away or damaged. We lost some shingles from the roof and gutters and had
some water inside. Some of our neighbors didn't do so well. Many lost their
roofs and everything inside was destroyed. One lady that lives above us lost
her roof and it ended up across the street from our house. A Baptist
missionary couple who are friends of ours lost their roof and spent the whole
night in a hall closet. The poor people in the little wooden shacks fared the
worse. Most of the people in these areas went to shelters to find everthing
gone the next morning. The government of Antigua is doing a great job to
restore power but it has not reached us yet. We have been without power since
Sunday September 20th when the huricane hit so we use a generator to send and
check e-mails.
The roads are cluttered with debris (trees, trash, roofing &
powerlines) and are being cleared at a steady rate. We have heard of looters
taking advantage of the darkness and access to stores because of damage. The
eye of the hurricane passed directly over us. Some communities were hit worse
than others. Many people are homeless or have houses that are unable to use
until repairs are made. We have been blessed because the rains stopped after
the hurricane passed and only today we have had some showers. We suffered two
deaths here in Antigua and many people were injured.
Our district is comprised of Antigua, Barbuda & St. Kitts. Barbuda did
quite well with little damage. St. Kitts did not do as well. Many people were
left homeless.
We will keep you posted of any special prayer requests and keep you
updated on the progress of recovery. Thanks again for your prayers and for
thinking of us. Please keep the people of Antigua in prayer as they recover
from the devistation.
God Bless,
John, Sarah, David & Phillip Marvin
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 12:06:10 +0400 (GMT)
From: Alan B. Scholl (scholla@candw.ag)
Subject: drive around the south...
Gert,
Yesterday I took a drive around the south and I think damage reports have
been exaggerated in comparison to LUIS. Yes, there was damage and there
were roofs lost but I did not see the kind of relentless damage left by
LUIS. I do recall the images of a house that "exploded" after LUIS. You
saw no signs of such. There seems to be lots of evidence indicated
numerous small tornadoes as surgical damage is quite apparent in many
areas.
Over the weekend even more areas were "lighted up" as the power company
APUA continues to restore its infrastructure. Things are normalizing and
almost business as usual. Unfortunately I was not a lucky recipient of
power but I suspect sometime this week we should be connected to the grid.
Alan B. Scholl
Home: http://www.candw.ag/admin/alans.html
Ham: V21BF
Antigua, West Indies - "Where Land & Sea Make Beauty..."
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:45:18 -0400
From: stai@canada.lucent.com
Subject: Info re: Barbuda
If you have any information about the situation in Barbuda I would
appreciate it greatly. I've not heard from my brother - Oliver Trunzer,
wife - Kelcina Burton-George and two small children since just before
Georges hit. They live in Codrington, and the only news I've heard so
far is that a helicopter finally landed on the island on Thursday -
finding a number of injured people. There has been no confirmation of
their safety.
If you are in contact with anyone at all in Antigua who may be involved
with efforts to help those in Barbuda, please forward this message on.
With my gratitude,
Sandy Trunzer Tai
stai@canada.lucent.com
(416)699-1755 residence
(416)756-5160 business
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 16:15:15 -0300
From: MARTHA WATKINS GILKES (gilkesm@candw.ag)
Subject: LIFE GOES ON AND GETS BETTER!!!
Antigua is really pulling itself together! It was only 6 days ago
that we were battening down the hatches and thank goodness most took
this thing seriously and were prepared..... because we certainly took a
terrible lashing... However, already there are BUDS ON MANY PLANTS...
many phones are still working (don't know how as I drive over my line
several times a day...) and electricity is being restored quickly (not
to me...as I am 14 miles away from "civilazation" so dont expect this
right away...and my 3 little mircles of life I told you about in an
earlier posting (the new born baby love birds who weathered the
hurricane OUTSIDE and went 48 hours with no food or mama to tend
them...) are thriving after being rescued. Each day there are new
colors coming out... blues/ greens/ peach tones...and each day it seems
they think I AM THE MOTHER BIRD as I feed them! They have helped me
keep faith in restoration/ clean up of major mess and knowing that our
PARADISE ANTIGUA will come back... So guys... give us a few more weeks
and we will be ready for our wonderful tourists to come back and enjoy
it with us! I have not resumed my scuba diving business so cannot
tell you the state of the reef. We know it will be badly damaged as the
waves and beach damage was major... but, life the baby birds...that too
will recover... Our thoughts have been with all the others in the path
of the storm... the Gulf Coast now... and just know, no matter how bad
it seems, it will get better (as long as Gert does not tell us about
ANOTHER STORM.) Bless him for the great need he has filled with STORM
98...
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 18:17:05 -0500
From: Conrad La Barrie (labarrielc@candw.ag)
Subject: Cruise Ship Facilities in Antigua
Greetings from sunny Antigua!
I am happy to report that both cruise ship docks in Antigua
are in good shape and we expect business to continue as
normal next week. 'Norwegian Sea' will be in port on
Wednesday and the 'Monarch of the Seas' on Thursday.
Extensive clean up is ongoing throughout the island
and Nelson's Dockyard will be operational.
Destination Antigua Ltd, agent for fourteen cruise lines and
sister company of Bryson's Shipping, are expecting a bouyant
cruise season for 98/99.
To find out more about Antigua, check our website
http://www.1-by-1.com/DestinationAntigua/
Cyberegards Conrad La Barrie.
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 13:31:43 +0400 (GMT)
From: Alan B. Scholl (scholla@candw.ag)
Things are indeed looking up. Most businesses are open and/or reopening.
Many areas in and around St.Johns has had power restored fully. I am told
that I may get power back this weekend as the infrastructure in my area
was somewhat unscathed. We have a generator so at night it is almost
business as usual.
Alan Scholl
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 23:24:48 -0700
From: Curt Waite (c.waite@internetMCI.com)
Subject: Curt Waite Newsletter
23 September 1998
Dear Friends,
I have been waiting (too long) for things to settle down so I could
write a newsletter. At that rate, apparently, I will never write
one. Our life seems to get more complicated every day, so I'd
better go ahead and write a newsletter while it is still possible!
Thanks for your patience.
If I had not been through Hurricane Luis in '95, I would have
described Hurricane Georges as a terribly destructive storm. But
I^"ll get to Georges in a minute. Barb is in the States right now.
She went up with Josh about a month ago to get him started in his
Senior year of high school at Bob Jones Academy. I was scheduled to
join her next week to begin a four-month furlough, but plans have
changed somewhat. She is now trying to get a flight back to Antigua
to help with the cleanup. She is wonderful! I had been scheduled
to start furlough in August, but Jerry Baker had to delay his
furlough until I returned from my medical trip, and now I have to
wait until he returns. (We really need another couple here, for a
lot of reasons, so pray that Roger and Stacy Kennard will have their
support soon. I think they are at about 60%.) I am guessing it
will be the middle of October before we can get out of here now.
My heart seems to be doing OK. It made it through the stress of a
category three hurricane and six-hours sleep in 48 hours so I can't
complain! Georges didn't last long, from about 8:00 p.m. until 5:00
a.m. Your basic nine hours of terror... The first four hours
weren^"t too bad. I was at home. Two of our announcers with their
families, veterans of Luis, stayed at the station and I had phone
and two-way radio contact with them. I could hear shingles ripping
off the roof and unknown objects being torn apart in the yard. Then
the eye was over us for an hour and I ran around the house with a
flashlight checking damage, which wasn't too bad at that point. A
very eerie experience. After the eye, the winds returned with a
vengeance from the opposite direction, this time with torrential
rains. The shingles really started going then, and rain began
pouring through the roof boards. I tried to keep up with a mop for
a while, but after about two hours gave it up and found a dry spot
where I 'slept' in a chair. Most of our furniture and all of our
papers and electronic items were protected in plastic, but some of
the furniture got pretty wet anyway. The three bedrooms had over an
inch of standing water in them in the morning.
In general, Antigua came through the storm pretty well. There is a
lot of damage, dozens of houses destroyed, hundreds of homes and
businesses with all or part of the roof gone, utility poles down,
uprooted and broken trees, etc., but nothing like the total
devastation of Luis. Only two deaths in Antigua, and only a few
injuries. Most of the ministries, pastors and missionaries came
through with little damage. The home of Pastor Burleigh, Galilean
Baptist Church, was completely destroyed. Our Operations Manager at
CRL, Augustine Erskine, lost half the roof on his house, and many
things inside. I am sure we will be without water for several days
until they get the pumps running, and without power for a couple of
weeks. The blessing in all of this was the fact that Radio
Lighthouse was able to broadcast continually throughout the night
with weather updates, local reports, and, of course, the gospel. In
fact, from 2:00 a.m. Monday morning (just after the eye) until 8:00
a.m. Wednesday, Radio Lighthouse was the ONLY station in the area
still broadcasting! This has been a tremendous testimony to God's
protection and has been greatly appreciated by the public. It's
great! People who wouldn't listen to Christian radio on a bet have
to listen to us now for news, weather and all the public service
messages we are carrying. You can be sure we interspersed them with
evangelistic programs! We were able to maintain contact via the
internet with the National Hurricane Center in Miami as well as the
local weather and disaster organizations, and keep our listeners
informed of the progress of the storm and precautions they should
take.
We know that many of you were praying for us during the time of the
storm. It is interesting to note that in the hours before the storm
struck, the intensity dropped from 150 mph winds down to a little
over 100 mph. God hears. By the way, thank you for your prayers
while I was going through the problems with my heart. Good came out
of that as well, but I am ready for a rest. We appreciate you and
look forward to the possibility of seeing you this winter.
Yours in Christ,
Curt Waite
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 22:34:19 -0400
From: Nick Maley (maleyn@candw.ag)
It's a miracle..... The phone is back on in less than a week!!!!
Just picked up the email. To all of those who sent their prayers and good
wishes I send my thank. We are fine although it got a bit twitchy for a
while. When I sent my last message we were less than 20 minutes from the
eye but the Internet messages suggested it might build for another few
hours before that respite and clearly that worried me since I could
already hear sections of the roof lifting. I actually went out in the
calm of the eye and nailed part of my roof down again before the wind
came in from the other side. Many parts of the island reported that the
second half of the storm was much worse than the first half. For me in
Hodges bay the first half was much worse than the second although there
was an initial 20 minutes where I feared the side door might be sucked
out as it bent with the pressure outside.
Incredibly THE ISLAND SUFFERED COMPARATIVELY LITTLE DAMAGE. By that I
don't wish to minimize the suffering of others or play down the tragic
deaths that have occurred, however reporting of damage , especially by
the Antigua Sun has been terribly biased towards sensationalism and is
misrepresentative of the condition of the island as a whole...... to such
an extent that it is downright irresponsible. If I was a travel agent
reading their online report you would believe that the island is
completely devastated and tell my clients to vacation anywhere other than
Antigua. However, in comparison with past hurricanes we have been blessed
and are in surprisingly good shape. Yes.... a number of hotels are
closing for a month to clean up their properly to maintain usual
standards but many on the west cost of the island have better beaches now
than before the storm. The general outlook of locals is VERY up beat. Of
course we are tired with endless rounds of cleaning and removal of debris
but we expected so much worse. Yes.... there were several cases of
destroyed homes and lost roofs there were far fewer than in Luis. There
is no doubt in my mind that the real difference was not the power of the
storm so much as the length that we had to endure it. We were very lucky
that the storm was passed in 11 hours so although it was fierce it was
very short (Luis was 36 hours). If Georges had continues another 5 hours
or so I am sure we would have suffered much more.
Still no power but my generator is a god send and apart from a few areas
there aren't too many power lines down. Some parts of St. John's already
have power restored and we are told that the rest of the island should
have power back in about 2 weeks. The garden is trashed and we lost the
roof to the guest cottage but considering that the eye ran right over us
with purported gusts of 150 mph we have minimal loss and you'll hear no
complaints from me. Even now most fallen trees are cleared to the side of
the road and there are plans to dispose of debris over the coming few
weeks. Worst problem now is letting the rest of the world know that we
are OK since THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC DAMAGE THAT COULD BE DONE BY TOURISTS
STAYING AWAY IS LIKELY TO BE MORE HARMFUL THAN THE STORM ITSELF.
Regards
Nick
Visit his great Antigua websites:
Island Arts Galleries Antigua and
Antigua & Barbuda Link
at CineSecrets.Com
-Gert
Earlier reports have been moved here.
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