Keep an eye on this one

[DandyDon]

Yea. Get her a weather channel jacket and stick her out on the malecon when its windy and rainy.

I saw a video collection of those people falling down in storms the other day.

OK, so I phone TravelSafe and TravelGuard to ask about a hurricane being forecast for my destination...

TravelSafe coverage has to be in effect for 15 days prior, which I do anyway but still - not for late buyers. If the hurricane is expected within 24 hours of my arrival, I can cancel and claim. If it expected to arrive more than 24 hours after I do, not covered for cancellation - but covered for interruption, etc. (I had been thinking I should have cancelled and claimed for H.Dean, but I arrived 4 or 5 days before he was expected so I would not have been - and then he veered off for Chetumal instead, but it was still prudent for me to leave with a Cat-5 coming, boats out of water, town in emergency preparation, etc.)

TravelGuard coverage has to be in effect before the storm is named, but no coverage prior to the storm hitting - none! Otherwise, TravelSafe offers better coverage on many levels for the same price. Maybe TravelGuard is more well known and TravelSafe is trying to beat them, whatever.

 

[Magnolia3]

Christy, I understand you have a business to protect..with that said, I truly believe you and your cheerleaders will still be telling people, with a Cat 4 an hour from coming onshore, "come on down weather is fine at my house". The weather is always fine at your house, despite the Airport being different.

For someone who has never been thru even a tropical storm, and has seen the photos from Camille, Katrina, Andrew, Charlie, Dean and so on... such things are a scary proposition. There is NOTHING wrong with someone posting a "hey people heads up, pay attention" to this storm. There is another thread in the Belize forum about some guy who did NOT pay attention flew into Belize only to discover that his intended hotel had evacuated all guests inland to San Ignacio. I do agree that we have Thunderstorms worse, at times, than this.. I don't agree with the attitude, its not big deal anytime.. I also have a problem with anyone who does point out the potential for these kinds of storms for odd behavior getting stomped on with both feet by you and your cheerleaders.

Anyone that cancelled their trip should have taken the advice of those of us who live these things and are seasoned storm vets. I can't emphasize enough what a non-event it was.

I left my windows open all night - and my blinds were not even moving - which speaks volumes. During a norte, they are crashing and banging against the window frames. Also no rain came in - because it BARELY rained all night! The worst part for us was the squall that came through at 4ish yesterday. It came and went during the course of my lunch! It was a heavy rain with a few gusts - THAT was Ernie for us!

Because you were on the "good side" of the storm that is why... I am thrilled that it did not interrupt your business., I am thrilled that this beastie managed to barely intensify... IF things had gone the other end of the spectrum and someone had flown in only to have to be evacuated, trip insurance might not have covered them.. just sayin'

It is that time of yr folks.. a wise traveler would pay close attention to their airlines and what they are doing.. IF a named storm aims at whatever destination you choose.. make the appropriate for you decision. IF you have a yen to experience mother nature in all her glory and fury then consider that as well. Personally I love hurricanes, think they are magnificent. MY first was Camille.. I grew up on the Gulf Coast.. been thru two aboard a sailboat. I have a healthy respect for what wind and water can do.

 

[Christi]

Christy, I understand you have a business to protect..with that said, I truly believe you and your cheerleaders will still be telling people, with a Cat 4 an hour from coming onshore, "come on down weather is fine at my house". The weather is always fine at your house, despite the Airport being different.

For someone who has never been thru even a tropical storm, and has seen the photos from Camille, Katrina, Andrew, Charlie, Dean and so on... such things are a scary proposition. There is NOTHING wrong with someone posting a "hey people heads up, pay attention" to this storm. There is another thread in the Belize forum about some guy who did NOT pay attention flew into Belize only to discover that his intended hotel had evacuated all guests inland to San Ignacio. I do agree that we have Thunderstorms worse, at times, than this.. I don't agree with the attitude, its not big deal anytime.. I also have a problem with anyone who does point out the potential for these kinds of storms for odd behavior getting stomped on with both feet by you and your cheerleaders.




Because you were on the "good side" of the storm that is why... I am thrilled that it did not interrupt your business., I am thrilled that this beastie managed to barely intensify... IF things had gone the other end of the spectrum and someone had flown in only to have to be evacuated, trip insurance might not have covered them.. just sayin'

It is that time of yr folks.. a wise traveler would pay close attention to their airlines and what they are doing.. IF a named storm aims at whatever destination you choose.. make the appropriate for you decision. IF you have a yen to experience mother nature in all her glory and fury then consider that as well. Personally I love hurricanes, think they are magnificent. MY first was Camille.. I grew up on the Gulf Coast.. been thru two aboard a sailboat. I have a healthy respect for what wind and water can do.

Clearly shows how LITTLE you know about me!

And BTW - as I said in a previous post -this had nothing to do with affecting my business - and I made that clarification because I knew you would try to use that. All of my divers for the week were here several days before this was a consideration. Those that are arriving over the weekend were "pendiente" - waiting to make their decisions until after the storm not 5 days out when we still really have no clue what it was going to do - as I said numerous times. And that is EXACTLY what I encouraged other people to do! But I know, you like to selectively read my posts and pick them apart.

I thought you had me on "ignore"

 

[Magnolia3]

If you remember, Jason and I WERE out taking video as the first bands of Wilma started coming through! Haha! Then we had to come inside because it was getting scary - it wasn't fun anymore!

I was a young 18, and going to live forever when Camlle was heading onshore. My cousins and I were bringing Shrimpboats out of the Pascagoula River around Dog Island and up the Fowl River. I captained the last boat we moved... it was an hour before the Eye came on shore.. I was scared to death. I learned a hard life lesson that day... otoh, I was laughing, in fear no doubt, the whole way. when water hitting your skin leaves a bruise its time to go indoors and ask the weather gods to be mericful.

I was moving to Key West, had the van packed and so on, the day Andrew was coming onshore. Next day I was driving ahead of the moving company.... I went the back way down US 41... ALL the trees leaves were stripped... the mango groves minus all leaves in south dade county with the glow of Miami in the distance gave the impression of bad B grade scifi movie.

When the wind literally howls and you see large objects the normally would not be moved by the wind flying thru the air, it can be a scary thing for those who have never been thru a hurricane. It is one thing to see Jim Santore standing with a wildy waving sign in the background, and an entire nuther thing to be there in the flesh as your roof peels off and flies off into the distance.

 

[Christi]

I've been through more storms than I care to count, but the first one I really REMEMBER was Alicia that managed to rip through Houston in 1985 or 1986 was scary. We spent hours cooped up in a small center room in our house. A tree fell on top of our house and left no roof on my bedroom. My father went outside during the eye to secure some things that were blowing and that could cause more damage during the second half. It wasn't a pretty sight. The Houston Medical center was flooded and had no electricity. We were without electricity for over a week - trees were blocking roads everywhere.

I was here on vacation in 1995 when Roxanne plowed through - but I felt safe.

Emily scared me - things were in fact flying - hitting the house, ripping off the house, etc.

Wilma was the first time I actually thought we were in danger! When you can feel your cement house shaking and it doesn't stop for 50 hours - it's stressful and nerve-wrecking. Of course we all know that both Emily and especially Wilma did intense damage to the island and we all pray that no one has to endure storms of those calibers.

I don't take storms lightly, I just try to stay calm and prepare accordingly. I stay positive and hope for the best outcome and that helps me stay calm and focused on the control and preparations I CAN make.

 

[scubawife]

Magnolia3, my first trip to the Mexican Caribbean was just a few months after Gilbert, to Isla Mujeres with a few days also spent in Cancun. That was also the first time I saw what hurricanes can do. Since then I've been various places in the Caribbean when there has been everything from a tropical depression up to being on the outer edges of a weak Cat 2. My personal experience everywhere has been that contacting the hotels and dive shops, I've never been steered wrong or misinformed. Nobody has ever but getting my business ahead of safety. I worked in various ends of the tourism business for a long time. I really do feel, and it's been my personal experience, that destinations, hotels, condos, dive shops and all other tourist businesses want repeat, happy customers. If anything, a lot of them will err on the more cautious side. In the past I've been told that if I'm going to be disappointed to lose a day or two of diving, or if less than great vis is going to be a deal breaker, reschedule for another time. If those things are ok, expect a rainy day or two, but there's no other concern to stop you from coming.

When I've been someplace and a system develops while we're there, the properties and dive shops have never downplayed anything. They've always told us exactly what to expect, kept us updated... and when it was an option, suggested we also keep checking the online weather sites... and if it looked like our diving might be done for the duration, the option was there to get a credit for a future trip. Often times even when the sun comes back out in a day, the ocean takes a little more time to calm down and clear up. After a few trips of losing half the diving time, I just stopped planning dive trips between Aug-early Nov. In the winter I can lose days to cold fronts, but they don't usually come with the big storm surges so to me that's a better situation.

Weather happens. Nobody can control it. Anyone traveling to the Caribbean in the summer and fall needs to follow what's going on. For myself though, based on experience, I'll always but a little more trust in local sources who have a good reputation then I will other opinions I read online. What dive shop or hotel wants someone to have a horrible experience and plaster the internet with negative reviews?

Just because the airline is flying also doesn't mean you're in the clear. The Belize post is a great example of that! One airport can serve a big area. Cancun is a good example of that too. Anytime of the year the weather can be totally different in Cancun, Playa and Cozumel. I've seen it, all in the same day and over the course of a few weeks. Check with people where you're going, and specifically with the place you're staying. People make the mistake that because the airport is open and there flight is leaving, then there's nothing to worry about.

We had a Cozumel trip planned for just after Wilma. Everyone was very honest with us, and believe me, the business that were open could have used every tourist penny, but they were still totally honest. We didn't stay where originally planned, and the hotel that could accommodate us told us they weren't back to 100%. Dive shops were also honest that there had been damage to the reefs, etc. We still went, and it was really one of the best trips I've ever had to Cozumel. I was sad to see a lot of the damage, but over the years since then it's been an experience to see it all come back and some things get even better.

 

[diverokc]

Christi i for one appreciate your posts. i really like first hand knowledge from someone who is there. I have some good freinds on the island and good to know they are safe. keep it up-be there in sept.

 

[tracydr]

I experienced the 1999 tornado in OK that killed so many people. I also have a few patients who are Katrina refugees, all with huge losses of family and friends.
storms are nothing to take for granted, although you certainly can't live life in fear, either.
I do wonder what is wrong with some people, though, that ignore warnings to evacuate or avoid travel during a storm?

 

[Christi]

I experienced the 1999 tornado in OK that killed so many people. I also have a few patients who are Katrina refugees, all with huge losses of family and friends.
storms are nothing to take for granted, although you certainly can't live life in fear, either.
I do wonder what is wrong with some people, though, that ignore warnings to evacuate or avoid travel during a storm?

Tornados are a much scarier thing!!!! No warning and nowhere to hide, no time for preparation. I truly worry about my friends in tornado prone areas - very scary! Yes, I too am baffled when there are evacuation orders and people ignore them. Sometimes you can't - here on the island, we can get stuck. That's what happened with Wilma. It went from a nothing to a Cat 5 literally overnight and it was virtually impossible to get off of the island at that point. The good thing is that we have solid cement construction for the most part. The waterfron properties that were washed away were because the foundations were washed away from the hours and hours of wind and waves. It was very sad!

 

[Sue Sue]

DH Michael and I were fully aware that a storm was approaching Cozumel prior to leaving Texas on Friday, Aug. 3. As Blue XT Sea Divers, we appreciate the informed reports from Christi prior, during and post storm. Also, Ernesto was NOT our first TS or Hurricane while diving here over the past 10 years. With that experience, Christ's input as well as keeping track of NOAA reports ourselves, we were confident that we were safe. Had we not been, we would have cancelled our trip.

Since I am a Blue XT Sea diver and have been reporting my observations in this thread, I am frankly offended of being accused of cheerleading and that I would sugarcoat my report. My reports made here on Scubaboard were merely meant to describe to others what was going on from a first hand point of view. I also know my family in Texas were reading the posts and I know they appreciate knowing we were safe and sound especially since the media does have a tendency to blow things out of proportion. With that said, those who know me, know, that I tell it like it is, regardless of my dedication to friendship or business. Those who don't know me, I am truly happy to give them benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to get to know me.

Best Regards, Happy Diving, Sue