After all the preparation and precaution, Tomas chose to sneak by Jamaica with barely a whisper. I watched the rain roll in from my friend's house up in Beverly Hills after bringing her patio furniture inside. Then we waited. Wondered. Commented on the silence, wondering if it was the calm before the storm. The hours passed, a bit more rain came, but without the wind and without the dramatic lightening and thunder. We'd clearly been set up. I probably shouldn't have felt a bit let down, because it's all for the best if Tomas kept to himself. I just can't help that part of me wanted to experience a hurricane. I mean, who doesn't love being at a cocktail party and getting to bring up "One time, when I was in a hurricane...". It would have the potential to match "One time at a military hospital in Ghana when I was volunteering at a refugee camp and a fake doctor misdiagnosed me..." and would definitely top "One time in Jamaica my apartment swayed slightly for less than 30 seconds when a small 4.5 earthquake went almost unnoticed across the island..."
Not to say Tomas didn't come at all - through the night there were high winds and some heavy rain, but nothing near what we had expected and prepared for. The next morning, schools remained closed and the tropical storm watch remained in effect on the island. The UNESCO office I work in was, of course, open for business. Although it was pretty quiet when I got there - considering it was a Friday (which for us means the day ends at 1:30pm) and the official decision to open the office didn't come until 9am, not entirely surprising. During the day the tropical storm watch was lifted and I could find no reports of damage on the island. My apartment was in fine condition, aside from a pre-existing leak running down the wall once again.
There had been a bit of worry that the easier we got the, the worse Haiti was going to get it. Thankfully, our fears were worse than the reality turned out to be. Haiti certainly didn't go untouched, with 8 deaths reported, and areas effected by the flooding - which has lead to more cholera deaths (over 500 now). I don't want to downplay any lives being lost, it's just that there was the potential for 1.3 million people to be put directly in harms way. Tomas didn't cross Port-au-Prince as had been predicted and feared. Had that happened, especially with so many people in the camps unwilling to abandon their shelters and possessions (convinced those things would no longer be there when they returned) it would have been a different situation altogether.
I had heard about a potential new storm forming next week, but nothing seems to be taking shape. Technically the hurricane season runs until November 30th, but many people think (and hope) that Tomas was our last for the season. So the forecast calls for more blue skies, although a November chill has set in, bringing out daily high down to a brisk 28 degrees.
Not to say Tomas didn't come at all - through the night there were high winds and some heavy rain, but nothing near what we had expected and prepared for. The next morning, schools remained closed and the tropical storm watch remained in effect on the island. The UNESCO office I work in was, of course, open for business. Although it was pretty quiet when I got there - considering it was a Friday (which for us means the day ends at 1:30pm) and the official decision to open the office didn't come until 9am, not entirely surprising. During the day the tropical storm watch was lifted and I could find no reports of damage on the island. My apartment was in fine condition, aside from a pre-existing leak running down the wall once again.
There had been a bit of worry that the easier we got the, the worse Haiti was going to get it. Thankfully, our fears were worse than the reality turned out to be. Haiti certainly didn't go untouched, with 8 deaths reported, and areas effected by the flooding - which has lead to more cholera deaths (over 500 now). I don't want to downplay any lives being lost, it's just that there was the potential for 1.3 million people to be put directly in harms way. Tomas didn't cross Port-au-Prince as had been predicted and feared. Had that happened, especially with so many people in the camps unwilling to abandon their shelters and possessions (convinced those things would no longer be there when they returned) it would have been a different situation altogether.
I had heard about a potential new storm forming next week, but nothing seems to be taking shape. Technically the hurricane season runs until November 30th, but many people think (and hope) that Tomas was our last for the season. So the forecast calls for more blue skies, although a November chill has set in, bringing out daily high down to a brisk 28 degrees.
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