Saturday 18 August 2007

It's serious this time


Just when I thought Jamaica was safe again, along came Dean. The summer of 2005 was notable for the number of named Atlantic storms. Scientist predicted that 2006 would be worse... wrong! Although I had left Jamaica before the 2007 hurricance season began, Malcolm and I still kept an eye on it... after all, I still had a bunch of Peace Corps friends there, and Malcolm's father, friends, and childhood was in Jamaica.

We saw that Dean was going to become a threat earlier this week. I was skeptical, most hurricanes that look like they're going straight for Jamaica end up turning at the 11th hour (which Jamaicans atribute to the power of their collective prayer). My tenure in Jamaica had been filled with false warnings, and more boozy hurricane parties (because we knew we really had nothing to worry about), than real hurricane damage. The worst I experienced was Ivan in 2004. Even Ivan barely brushed the south and west coast, causing damage but not catastrophe.

Dean looks differnt, though. Malcolm likens it to Hurricane Gilbert, the most infamous hurricane to hit Jamaica in the last 50 years. Much like Gilbert, Dean looks poised to sweep from Kingston to Montego Bay, touching almost every parish with it's winds and rains. Also, Dean is projected to become a Category 5 (worst) when it hits the island. Yikes....

Malcolm and I phoned one of our friends who is still in Jamaica. The US embassy has choosen to consolidate all volunteers in Kingston, deviating from the Peace Corps plan of consolidations in Kingston and Montego Bay. It may not seem that different, but remember that it is so hard for Volunteers to 'abandon' their communities during the hurricane. Volunteers that are living in Montego Bay and west may also be leaving behind Jamaican friends, pets, and loved ones. I'm sending all my positive energy to my friends and collegues in Jamaica...

On a happier note, Malcolm and I adopted a cat last week. Last Friday Malcolm and I went to the Cat Protection agency to pick up Fizz, a ginger and white cat who is of indiscriminate age (probably between 1 and 2 years old). He slipped quite nicely into our lives, and has quickly wrapped his little white paw around our hearts. Welcome to the family, Fizz!

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