Reply #8: After Gilbert [View All]

[malaise]

I take them in stride. We prepare in June and watch the weather. Jamaica is not flat like Florida and the building codes are way stricter because of our history with hurricanes and earthquakes. Of course that's not true for the poor or squatters living near river beds or in coastal areas, but many people have been forcibly removed or moved on their own after close shaves.

We're survivors and Gilbert taught all of us that we must remain close to nature and willing to getting back to basics. Caribbean people are very pragmatic - we have hurricane parties and neighbours get together during storms and run shifts to watch all night when required and we drink loads of rum, beer, wine and coffee. If we lose power we have BBQs and share the meat before it spoils.:D We have very few hurricane deaths so since we love where we live we just take precautions, prepare and defer to nature. Only a major hurricane like Gilbert will disrupt us for a few weeks and those are rare. We're lucky -most hurricanes pass north or south of us.

Since we started watching TD#5 earlier friends have been calling us checking that we're ready and making arrangements in case we have to deal with Ernesto come weekend. What will be will be. Why worry:D