Antigua Newsletter L_002 following hurricane Lenny
Sun, 21 Nov 1999 15:01:34 -0500
Dear Friends
Finally re surfacing after loosing my system. Struggling along with an old machine. By now you will have the broad picture from other correspondents. Today the sun shines gloriously. In a forum like this hurricane page we tend to focus on the damage but most of us have much to be grateful for. There was no wind damage to speak of and damage was limited to beaches exposed to the swell and areas in the path of flash flooding. Generally speaking power is restored.... it didn't go out in many areas.... and the clean-up will only take a few days in most places. There are some notable exceptions including Jolly Harbour where there are questions over power and water supply. Some hotels are only a bit soggy with beach and facilities in tact. I will start posting details of what I know on my hurricane hotline at http://AntiguaToday.com/hurricanes later today as long as my sporadic phone connection allows. My regular phone is down so I am currently on the fax line.
Cruise ships are already cleared to return next week, in fact, there will be an increase caused by damage in other islands. Although damage is certainly worse than I had hoped, with many roads ripped up I feel so sorry for those islands that sat in the worst of the stom for hours. It MUST be so much worse there. I will will need a visit to each hotel to be sure of flooding damage or erosion so that will get posted next week.
While I was cooped up I finished a new poem that I started during Jose.This seems like a suitable venue for it's first airing....
Hear it knocking at the door.
There's a hurricane a comin'
and it ain't no fun no more.
There's a hurricane a blowin'.
Hear it pounding on my home
as the rain flies by my window
and the sea is filled with foam.
and the leaves are like confetti that it scatters on the ground.
And it groans amid my galvanized
and shakes my window pane.
How I wish that it would go away
and not come back again.
as sea
and wind
and earth combine
and giant palm trees bend,
as rain becomes a torrent
that hacks into the land,
as power fails
and moments merge
this isn't what I planned.
I know that once it passes
we'll soon be on the mend,
a week
a month
of debris
the sun will shine again.
But somehow in the midst of all
I just can't wait till then.
I really love this island with it's casual way of life.
The beauty of the sunset
the sea upon the beach
the lapping of the ocean
my toes within it's reach.
and sailing on a breeze,
the glamour of the tropics
the drama of the seas.
But Nature can be sneaky.
We never know for sure
when her mood will alter
or what she has in store.
(Water seeps across the floor).
There's a hurricane a comin
Watch the bending of the door.
My banana trees are breaking
and my pool is filled with mud
and the house is slowly filling
with some soggy
leafy
crud.
Hear it make that eerie sound.
See the hedge a leaning sideways
and the fence upon the ground.
It's the seventh in a decade
and its now an awful chore.
How I wish that it would go away.
This ain't no fun
no more.
more soon
Nick Maley
