Anybody know how Windwards fared with Dean?

[Geoff S.]

Yikes! I've been cloistered away in an edit suite for the last two days, and have just clued-in to Hurricane Dean! Damn! I've been reading the NHC bulletin histories, and it looks like winds were up to about 110 kts midday Friday when he passed through several of the Windwards...Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique. This animated wind history makes it look like two of those three got pretty wacked:

DEAN Graphics Archive

Can't tell from the graphic which islands were in the teeth of it...anybody got any news? How bad did it get on those islands?

I hope anybody on the Forum, and anybody you know, are all safe and sound.

Geoff

[btrayfors]

Snippets from the press:

"Dean pounded the islands of Dominica, St. Lucia and Martinique. The hurricane has claimed at least three lives so far, including a 7-year-old boy and his mother on Dominica who were crushed in their home when rains from the storm caused a landslide, The Associated Press reported.

Dean crossed the 111-mph Category 3 threshold Friday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

Dangerous winds ripped a corrugated metal roof off a pediatric ward at Victoria Hospital in St. Lucia's capital, Castries, AP reported. No injuries were reported, AP said, and patients had been evacuated.

Flooding and wind-swept debris have turned St. Lucia into "a total mess," state radio reported, according to AP.

Storm surges shoved sea-wall boulders onto roads, AP reported, and a boat was seen sitting on a road after forces of nature carried it from the sea."

What's coming is far worse: soon to be a Cat 5 hurricane, Dean threatens Jamaica, the Yucatan Peninsula and, perhaps, the Gulf Coast of Mexico/Texas.

The 1PM Saturday Hurricane Center update calls Dean, "an extremely dangerous hurricane".

[Geoff S.]

Thanks for the update, though it's exactly the kind of news I feared. What catagory was Dean when he went through the islands?

Yeah, I'm watching the satallite loop now...Jamaica's in for it bad.

[Reality Check]

I know this is a bit late, but I have a desktop Icon for Stormcarib and follow what is going on by each island reporter in the areas I have interest. These are "real people" reports and relays of what Officials on each of the islands are doing. Photos and links to real time web cams are often provided.

Many post even when no storm is present... giving what is going on today as far as winds, rain, sun community activities. A few are extremely interesting on a daily basis. I particularly love the reports from Tortola by DearMsmermaid. I often need a seat belt to keep from falling off the chair when I'm reading them. I have met this person and she is a real jewel and could put most professional writers to shame.

Caribbean Hurricane Network - stormCARIB.com - Local Reports on Tropical Systems threatening the Caribbean Islands

This is a daily spot to check to see what is going on in the Carib.

Update: I just went to the Tortola report... made a big mistake.. I didn't have my seat belt on and just now getting up off the floor. You really do need to check this out.

[Sandero]

Oh she's fun to read. Thanks for the link.

jef
sv shiva