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Grenada Devastated
The damage
Canadian News (CITY TV)
Toronto woke up to a taste of a hurricane on Thursday. But while we were smacked by some heavy rain for a time in the morning, it was nothing like the experience those in the Caribbean are enduring.
Hurricane Ivan has departed Grenada, but left horrific destruction in its wake. The storm has taken 13 lives on the island, and left 90 percent of its structures destroyed or badly damaged, as sustained winds reaching 260 kilometres an hour literally blew the island to pieces.
For 24-year-old Canadian medical school student Wendy Banfi, it?s a far cry from the conditions in Mississauga where she grew up. She hunkered down in her bathtub for over 15 hours, tapping on the ceiling to see if her friend upstairs was still alive.
?We have no power. We have no running water. We're running low on drinking water. We're trying to stock up,? she complains. ?It's scary.?
Even the Prime Minister?s home is gone, a victim of the hurricane?s wrath. "We are terribly devastated ... It's beyond imagination," P.M. Keith Mitchell told his people from aboard a British navy vessel, where he?s sought refuge.
?It's total disaster for a small country as Grenada,? affirms its Tourism Minister Brenda Hood, who?s stranded in Toronto. ?The population is 110,000 people.? And they all have certain desperate needs. ?They are asking for things like blankets, non-perishable goods. They're asking for generators, batteries, all different sizes, blankets, cots, building material, you know, food stuff in particular.?
But while Mother Nature exerted her terrible vengeance, it?s human nature that?s almost as troubling now. Reports of widespread and massive looting continue to spread, as lawless hordes take advantage of the tragedy.
Adding to the concerns: murders and convicts escaped from a prison, when the storm took the walls down.
A curfew is in effect, but it may not do much good. Every police station in the country has been damaged, making it hard to restore order. Troops from other island nations are rushing to the area, hoping to help. But like a brighter tomorrow, for weather beaten residents, that must seem like a long way off.
* At least 24 people in the Caribbean have died overall in the whirlwind, as the massive disturbance struck several islands, including St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Tobago. In Barbados, a former Canadian citizen was among the victims of the storm. Seventy-five-year-old Phyllis Layne Walton was found floating in a canal near her home Tuesday. Reports indicate she went out in the maelstrom looking for her missing cat, and fell into the water. And in the Dominican Republic, four children drowned, when a giant wave spurred by the weather monster swept them off a beach.
* Canada has donated $50,000 to the country to aid in its recovery. But more money is needed, with damage estimates in the millions. Cash donations can be made payable to the Consulate General of Grenada and at all branches of the CIBC: ACCT: #2608731 TRANSIT #04702.
What?s the one weather related event you fear the most? To vote in our WebPoll, click here.
The Worst Hurricanes
They?re unpredictable and show little mercy. Hurricanes are the bane of weather forecasters, because they never know quite where they?re going to strike.
They cause many in more temperate climates to live in fear of the howling winds and the random nature of the attacks during the season, which generally lasts from June 1st to November 30th.
Improvements in building structures and better emergency planning has led to a reduction in deaths since the 1900s, but the storms can still be deadly, and are almost always destructive.
Here?s a look at the worst storms to hit North America since 1900. Because many occurred before the practice of naming hurricanes began, some of them are referred to only by the name of the place where they struck.
1. "Galveston" (Texas), 1900, Category, at least 8,000 dead. This is considered the deadliest storm in North American history.
2. "Lake Okeechobee" (South Florida), 1928, Category 4, at least 2,500 dead
3. Unnamed (Florida Keys, South Texas), 1919, Category 4, estimated to be at least 600 dead.
4. "New England" (New York, Rhode Island), 1938, Category 3, 600 dead
5. "Labor Day" (Florida Keys), 1935, Category 5, 408 dead.
6. Audrey (Southwest Louisiana, North Texas), 1957, Category 4, 390 dead
7. "Great Atlantic" (Northeast United States), 1944, Category 3, 390 dead
8. "Grand Isle" (Louisiana), 1909, Category 4, 350 dead
9. Unnamed (New Orleans), 1915, Category 4, 275 dead
10. Unnamed (Galveston, Texas), 1915, Category 4, 275 dead
11. Camille (Mississippi, Louisiana), 1969, Category 5, 256 dead
12. "Great Miami" (Florida, Mississippi, Alabama), 1926, Category 4, 243 dead
13. Diane (Northeast United States), 1955, Category 1, 184 dead
14. Unnamed (Southeast Florida), 1906, Category 2, 164 dead
15. Unnamed (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida), 1906, Category 3, 134 dead
16. Agnes (Northeast United States), 1972, Category 1, 122 dead
17. Hazel (South Carolina, North Carolina, Eastern Seaboard, Toronto), 1954, Category 4, 95 dead. This storm also hit became famous as the first major hurricane to hit Toronto. It arrived on October 14th and continued into the 15th, washing away part of the city and leaving 81 here dead.
18. Betsy (Southeast Florida, Southeast Louisiana), 1965, Category 3, 75 dead
19. Carol (Northeast United States), 1954, Category 3, 60 dead
20. Floyd (Eastern United States), 1999, Category 2, 57 dead.
In addition, Hurricane Andrew is well remembered in Florida. It struck between August 22-26 of 1992, leaving only 26 dead, but causing an astounding $26.5 billion in damage.
While Hazel was the worst storm to hit Toronto, it was nothing compared to what Hurricane Juan did to Nova Scotia back in 2003. It killed eight people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Juan was the worst storm to hit the Maritime province in over a century.
Chirimoya said:
Canadian News (CITY TV)
Toronto woke up to a taste of a hurricane on Thursday. But while we were smacked by some heavy rain for a time in the morning, it was nothing like the experience those in the Caribbean are enduring.
Hurricane Ivan has departed Grenada, but left horrific destruction in its wake. The storm has taken 13 lives on the island, and left 90 percent of its structures destroyed or badly damaged, as sustained winds reaching 260 kilometres an hour literally blew the island to pieces.
For 24-year-old Canadian medical school student Wendy Banfi, it?s a far cry from the conditions in Mississauga where she grew up. She hunkered down in her bathtub for over 15 hours, tapping on the ceiling to see if her friend upstairs was still alive.
?We have no power. We have no running water. We're running low on drinking water. We're trying to stock up,? she complains. ?It's scary.?
Even the Prime Minister?s home is gone, a victim of the hurricane?s wrath. "We are terribly devastated ... It's beyond imagination," P.M. Keith Mitchell told his people from aboard a British navy vessel, where he?s sought refuge.
?It's total disaster for a small country as Grenada,? affirms its Tourism Minister Brenda Hood, who?s stranded in Toronto. ?The population is 110,000 people.? And they all have certain desperate needs. ?They are asking for things like blankets, non-perishable goods. They're asking for generators, batteries, all different sizes, blankets, cots, building material, you know, food stuff in particular.?
But while Mother Nature exerted her terrible vengeance, it?s human nature that?s almost as troubling now. Reports of widespread and massive looting continue to spread, as lawless hordes take advantage of the tragedy.
Adding to the concerns: murders and convicts escaped from a prison, when the storm took the walls down.
A curfew is in effect, but it may not do much good. Every police station in the country has been damaged, making it hard to restore order. Troops from other island nations are rushing to the area, hoping to help. But like a brighter tomorrow, for weather beaten residents, that must seem like a long way off.
* At least 24 people in the Caribbean have died overall in the whirlwind, as the massive disturbance struck several islands, including St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Tobago. In Barbados, a former Canadian citizen was among the victims of the storm. Seventy-five-year-old Phyllis Layne Walton was found floating in a canal near her home Tuesday. Reports indicate she went out in the maelstrom looking for her missing cat, and fell into the water. And in the Dominican Republic, four children drowned, when a giant wave spurred by the weather monster swept them off a beach.
* Canada has donated $50,000 to the country to aid in its recovery. But more money is needed, with damage estimates in the millions. Cash donations can be made payable to the Consulate General of Grenada and at all branches of the CIBC: ACCT: #2608731 TRANSIT #04702.
What?s the one weather related event you fear the most? To vote in our WebPoll, click here.
The Worst Hurricanes
They?re unpredictable and show little mercy. Hurricanes are the bane of weather forecasters, because they never know quite where they?re going to strike.
They cause many in more temperate climates to live in fear of the howling winds and the random nature of the attacks during the season, which generally lasts from June 1st to November 30th.
Improvements in building structures and better emergency planning has led to a reduction in deaths since the 1900s, but the storms can still be deadly, and are almost always destructive.
Here?s a look at the worst storms to hit North America since 1900. Because many occurred before the practice of naming hurricanes began, some of them are referred to only by the name of the place where they struck.
1. "Galveston" (Texas), 1900, Category, at least 8,000 dead. This is considered the deadliest storm in North American history.
2. "Lake Okeechobee" (South Florida), 1928, Category 4, at least 2,500 dead
3. Unnamed (Florida Keys, South Texas), 1919, Category 4, estimated to be at least 600 dead.
4. "New England" (New York, Rhode Island), 1938, Category 3, 600 dead
5. "Labor Day" (Florida Keys), 1935, Category 5, 408 dead.
6. Audrey (Southwest Louisiana, North Texas), 1957, Category 4, 390 dead
7. "Great Atlantic" (Northeast United States), 1944, Category 3, 390 dead
8. "Grand Isle" (Louisiana), 1909, Category 4, 350 dead
9. Unnamed (New Orleans), 1915, Category 4, 275 dead
10. Unnamed (Galveston, Texas), 1915, Category 4, 275 dead
11. Camille (Mississippi, Louisiana), 1969, Category 5, 256 dead
12. "Great Miami" (Florida, Mississippi, Alabama), 1926, Category 4, 243 dead
13. Diane (Northeast United States), 1955, Category 1, 184 dead
14. Unnamed (Southeast Florida), 1906, Category 2, 164 dead
15. Unnamed (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida), 1906, Category 3, 134 dead
16. Agnes (Northeast United States), 1972, Category 1, 122 dead
17. Hazel (South Carolina, North Carolina, Eastern Seaboard, Toronto), 1954, Category 4, 95 dead. This storm also hit became famous as the first major hurricane to hit Toronto. It arrived on October 14th and continued into the 15th, washing away part of the city and leaving 81 here dead.
18. Betsy (Southeast Florida, Southeast Louisiana), 1965, Category 3, 75 dead
19. Carol (Northeast United States), 1954, Category 3, 60 dead
20. Floyd (Eastern United States), 1999, Category 2, 57 dead.
In addition, Hurricane Andrew is well remembered in Florida. It struck between August 22-26 of 1992, leaving only 26 dead, but causing an astounding $26.5 billion in damage.
While Hazel was the worst storm to hit Toronto, it was nothing compared to what Hurricane Juan did to Nova Scotia back in 2003. It killed eight people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Juan was the worst storm to hit the Maritime province in over a century.
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Ivan is a monster!
Thank God that we here in the DR have been spared from this one, though our luck will run out some time.
The last time we were hit with a major Hurricane was in 1998 with Hurricane Georges. Of course, the damage and stregth of that hurricane was nothing compared to Hurricane David in 1979. Now, that was total devastation all over the DR!
Go to any Dominican who was alive during that time and the description of Hurricane David are almost as dim as the description of the Trujillo years. Just horrible storms!
Thank God that we here in the DR have been spared from this one, though our luck will run out some time.
The last time we were hit with a major Hurricane was in 1998 with Hurricane Georges. Of course, the damage and stregth of that hurricane was nothing compared to Hurricane David in 1979. Now, that was total devastation all over the DR!
Go to any Dominican who was alive during that time and the description of Hurricane David are almost as dim as the description of the Trujillo years. Just horrible storms!
Gabriela said:
Am I the United Nations of the Caribbean?
The aid that has been pledge from many foreign governments to Grenada appears to be more than sufficient to clean up the mess and get their lives together. Their emotional scare will take some time though.
With Jamaica, Cuba, etc. All I can do is pray that they fair better than Grenada. If things get bad in Jamaica and Cuba and a humanitarian crisis arises, then I'll donate some money to a respectful desaster organization like the Red Cross or something.
I mean, there isn't much that people can do about these things. These things happen and people in the Caribbean are aware of that and prepared in the best way they can to survive these phenomenon that have been occuring since the beginning of time.
Didn't El Cicl?n de San Zen?n cause more casualties than David?
1930. RLT had just risen to power. Hurricanes had no names. No warnings. La Capital was no longer.
1930. RLT had just risen to power. Hurricanes had no names. No warnings. La Capital was no longer.
thick_neck said:
On a per capita basis it might had, but keep in mind, in 1930 the entire country population was 3 million and Santo Domingo consisted of the Colonial Zone and the section known as Ciudad Nueva. The rest was cattle pastures, farms, and forests.
Today, Santo Domingo alone has 3 million people, sprawls over 400 square miles (the Colonial Zone which in 1930 made up 99% of the city now makes up less then 1% of the capital, due to the explosion in geographic growth). Also, there is an additional 5 million people living in the rest of the country, the bulk in the Cibao Valley and Vega Real region. Today, there is more value in properties in the DR because:
A) Properties today are worth more than they were in 1930s when not adjusted for inflation and in some cases even when adjusted for inflation
B) The country is much more developed today than it was in 1930
C) In the 1930s the DR economy didn't practically exist, today the DR economy is producing about 21 billion dollars (increasing by the day as the dollar falls).
D) Also, the DR has become an important economic player in the Caribbean region. This is the first time the DR (and Santo Domingo in particular) begins to influence the region since its decline in power back in the 16th century.
Given that the last Category 5 storm was David to wreck havoc in the DR and it happen at the end of the 1970s decade (the decade of the "Miracle of Balaguer" because the economy grew fabulously during that time period) then its safe to say the David was (because it was) the most destructive storm to hit the DR.
The most costliest was George, but the reason for being the most costliest lies primarily in the unadjusted for inflation currency amounts and a bigger in economy in 1998 than in 1979 and certainly than in 1930.
Nal0whs...
El Cicl?n de San Zen?n, as it's known in Dominican history, caused over 8,000 deaths in the D.R. in September, 1930; David in 1979 caused just over 2,000 in the entire region.
El Cicl?n de San Zen?n, as it's known in Dominican history, caused over 8,000 deaths in the D.R. in September, 1930; David in 1979 caused just over 2,000 in the entire region.