Hurricane Humberto

Whilst I was in basking in the 100-degree Arizona heat. I was working I’d like to add, well apart from the Sedona road trip, my family and the island of Bermuda got badly rattled by Hurricane Humberto last Wednesday and Thursday. To show how completely unpredictable hurricanes can be as I left the island Tuesday morning it was coming in at a Cat One (95 mph max sustained winds), but by the time the little f***** got here it was blowing at 125 mph, close to a Cat Four, with gusts as much as 144 mph.

Humberto was a big storm even by Bermuda standards, and we have lived through many in our 10+ years here, although my windswept other half is convinced I’m never here for them. The worst in recent history was Fabian in 2003 when four people lost their lives. Fortunately no one was killed this time, but still I have not witnessed as much structural damage as the island got last week.

Roofs were ripped off, walls crumbled, bridges cracked and centuries old trees were ripped from it’s roots. 80% of the homes on the island were without power as poles and wires sprawled amongst debris and tree branches on the roads. Schools and police stations were severely damaged and a large yacht got loose from its mooring in Hamilton Harbour and was blown along as far as the Hamilton Princess where it came to a crash landing, but took out 14 other boats on the way.

Our own house had many windows smashed, part of the roof gable has a lump out to it and two balconies that faced the ocean (we are about 100 metres from the Atlantic) were ripped to pieces. Fortunately the houses and buildings are made to last here, unlike many on Caribbean islands as we saw after Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.

I was obviously Mr Popular but the embattled other-half was fearless, even in the face of an obnoxious landlord, and the little’un a superstar. Friends were brilliant too.

Now, tonight we face Tropical Storm Jerry (max sustained winds 73 mph) which has at least thankfully slowed from a Hurricane and moved off a direct hit course. That could have been potentially disastrous. 2,000 homes remain without power.

As I sit here in the kitchen ready to go to bed the winds are up and the boarded windows on our house are starting to rattle. Jerry is slow moving, but it is not expected to strengthen as it passes by us at some point tomorrow during the day.