Hurricane Irma: St Martin Before And After

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-latin-america-41194219/hurricane-irma-st-martin-before-and-after

Incredible pictures of the former Caribbean paradise of St Martins

[murraymints]

poor people.. I have friends on hols in Orlando..preparing to evacuate...

[mikey4444]

Looks dreadful Minty, although I am always a little puzzled why people should go the area in peak hurricane season ?

A close friends brother and his family live and work in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and he hasn't heard from him for the last 3 days.

[murraymints]

very worrying ..I worked with a girl who was airlifted by harness from one of the wee islands years back..

[ummmm]

Phone lines/signals are probably down.

[naomi24]

Mikey, hopefully that's only because communications are down. I've been in the Caribbean during a hurricane and we were cut off for days.

[Zacs-Master]

Holy cow. Looks like a post-apocalypse movie. Must be devastating for the people and the economy.

[albaqwerty]

It's my understanding that Barbuda was cut off for 24 hours - no access to the outside world.

utterly dreadful scenes, loss of life and casualties.

Yet another hurricane is on its way

[mikey4444]

The new hurricane, Jose, is headed straight for the East Coast of Florida, so we can expect more mega-million dollar damage. Just how does anybody get insurance, if they live in an area where this is likey to happen ?

Three extremely destructive hurricanes, in such a short time....a record perhaps ?

[murraymints]

doesn't help that many/most of the buildings are little more than glorified wooden sheds..or lightweight fabrication... same when forest fires sweep through California...

[ummmm]

I don't recall ever hearing of that many in such a short space of time.

[Zacs-Master]

I thought it was still Irma which was headed for Florida. Half a million people being evacuated. Irma is the longest-lasting top-intensity cyclone ever recorded. 300kph (186mph) winds.

[mikey4444]

Zacs...yes, I think you are right....it is Irma....with so many hurricanes about, its easy to get confused !

[jim360]

At its current track Jose is expected to hit some of the Leeward Islands but veer off into the Atlantic after that, so at least most of those affected by Irma should be spared a second hurricane.

[Zacs-Master]

These satellite images bring home the scale of the situation:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-08/irma-katia-and-jose-hurricane-trio-baffles-scientists/8884834

[albaqwerty]

I heard on BBC news yesterday that Irma is the size of France!

There have been hurricanes in quick succession, hence 'hurricane season' but Irma is the strongest since records began 180 years ago, so who knows if this one is the strongest ever?

[ummmm]

I remember years back there was flooding in my town. Seeing the devastation a flood caused I can't even begin to imagine how these people are feeling.

[Zacs-Master]

Mikey, I know you've travelled the US quite a bit so you'll probably relate to my experience of driving around Yosemite where the scale of the scenery makes you stop in your tracks and causes you to realise that the planet isn't ours. Events like we're seeing in the Caribbean make me feel exactly the same way.

[albaqwerty]

One thing that seems to get ignored in the coverage of any natural disaster is the sewerage system.

ugh

[mikey4444]

Zacs....yes, I can see what you mean.

America has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery I have ever seen, especially in the Far West. Florida has never interested me very much as I much prefer the mountains and deserts.

My heart goes out to all those millions of people who have to live in hurricane areas.

[naomi24]

Zacs at 09:51, I agree. Yosemite is awesome!