This is a fairly important update. As of right now, Saturday evening, we have two tropical storms heading our way. I just wanted to let you guys know what's going on, reassure you that we'll be safe, and show you how to track the paths of the storms. I also wanted to note that internet and phones may be down here for a few days if the storms do hit, so please do not worry if you don't hear from us for a few days! I am going to be as honest as possible and use all the stats from the National Hurricane service. I'm doing this so you guys don't worry, so please don't read this and panic! We'll do great. If you ever get nervous, just reread the final section on this page- WHY WE'RE SAFE!
So, Ana is up first. Ana's a tropical storm that Ryan and I have been watching since she was just a little low pressure system way on the other side of the Atlantic. Right now, we're on the edge of her projected three-day forecast cone. Right now, she's predicted to hit Antigua on Monday afternoon. Ana should be passing just north of us, although her path can change. It doesn't look like she'll be hitting us directly, though I imagine it'll be a bit rainy and windy! Dominica's got about a 50% chance of tropical storm force winds (or 120 mph). We're estimated to have winds at 105mph thanks to Ana. There's about a 20% chance Ana will turn into a category 1 hurricane by the time she reaches us. The probability of Ana becoming a hurricane increases AFTER she passes over us, so worry about the poor people in Cuba and Miami, not the ones here!
Right behind Ana is her buddy Bill. From the very beginning, we've been a bit more worried about Bill. We've also been watching him since he was a little, unnamed low pressure system! Bill's five day track passes pretty much directly over us at some point between 2pm Wednesday and 2pm Thursday- probably Wednesday morning. Just so you know, it is predicted that Bill is going to turn into a hurricane before he reaches us (about 70%)- so we may get to experience a hurricane while we're down here after all.
Remember that either of these storms can change direction. Ana could change so that she passes right over us and Bill could change so that he passes north of us. Right now, since Bill is more of a concern and more likely to turn into a hurricane, it'd be just fine for us if Ana came to visit instead of Bill! We also could be completely missed by both storms and have the lovely, sunny weather we're so used to. I think we'll at least get a bit of rain, which will be too bad because I'm supposed to go on a field trip with the day school kids on Wednesday!
Now, there are some people I'm going to ask all of you to pray for! Many of the locals can't afford hurricane safe housing, so please pray for their safety. Since many of them are fishers or farmers, pray that their boats and farms are not destroyed by the wind and waves. Pray for all the stray dogs and cats I've come to love here. And don't worry- Angelina (Mom-cat) will be spending the storm safely indoors. Pray for all the people who have booked flights off of the island for break- many of them will be devastated if they aren't able to get home to visit their friends and families. Also, on top of the storm, Ryan's finals are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week, so pray that he does his absolute best! And yes, I have wondered if he paid off Mother Nature to send a hurricane through so that he had a few days more to study!
To track the storms yourself (although I will provide updates when I am able!) just follow the link below. Right now there are three storms being traced- Hurricane Guillermo (in the Pacific) and Tropical Storms Ana and Bill. CLICK HERE TO TRACK THE STORMS After reaching the link you can just scroll down and click on the Warnings and Three Day Cone map so that you can see the storm's projected path. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP OF THE CARIBBEAN so that you can see where Dominica is located. We're just north of the 15th parallel, south east of Puerto Rico, and south of Antigua. At the top of the webpage on the first link, you'll see any current announcements by the National Weather Service.
Ok, here's the part you've been waiting for:
WHY WE'RE SAFE!
~Dominica is a very mountainous country. We've no need to worry about flooding.
~We're in a hurricane safe house.
~We live on a hill.
~We have a generator, so power outages won't affect us.
~We live on the leeward side of the island, so we're protected from the worst of the winds by those very tall mountains.
~We've got about 15 gallons of water stored at all times, and now is no exception.
~We've got plenty of food we don't need electricity or gas to prepare- like bread, peanut butter, tuna, canned chicken, crackers, jelly... the list goes on and on!
~We have a lot of friends living in our building and around our building. So we've got help nearby if we need it!
~We've got each other.
~Ross will accept anyone who needs housing during a hurricane, so we can go to campus if we have to.
~This is all part of the adventure!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment