WATCH OUT: HURRICANE NICOLE

Hurricane season is upon us.  Theoretically speaking, I suppose they are technically just very severe storms.  Witnessing one and feeling the effects of another has changed my mind.  Hurricanes are truly a different and ferocious breed.

This blog is in honour of our direct experience of Hurricane Nicole.  The disastrous effects of Hurricane Matthew have already been shared.  


Over the course of our adventure on the island, we have come to experience the vagaries of many different weather systems.  In terms of rain showers; we have walked in the pleasant drizzle of a light cloudburst.  We have run for cover from the downpour of a sudden thunderstorm, and stayed indoors from looming black clouds and flashing lightning. 

We have watched tropical storms whip waves into a frothing frenzy and bring them crashing down onto sea walls.  Yachts bob like corks in their wake.  Beaches can be swept clean, leaving pristine white sands denuded of shells, seaweed and flotsam.  Sometimes it's as if the ocean regurgitates all the unwanted debris and your next walk on the beach becomes a treasure trove of questionable delights.  

And then we were introduced to Hurricane Nicole.  It just does not begin to compare to our usual experience of a 'storm'.

We followed Emergency Services directives prior to the onslaught - tied down the kayak, brought balcony furniture in, boiled eggs, grilled steaks, bought extra milk and water.  Made sure we had candles, batteries, etc.  We filled the baths with water (if the power shuts down it might be for days, which in turn shuts down water services, hence the need for a water reservoir).   We even have a hurricane lamp and crank radio at the ready.

And then She arrived.  On the 13th October 2016, Bermuda experienced Hurricane Nicole at a Category 4 level.  The eye of Hurricane Nicole was estimated at 30 miles in diameter - Bermuda slotted neatly into the eye at 22 miles in length.   What amazes me is that we are a tiny blip on a map in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean - how come the eye of a hurricane has to choose to hone in on us?  

So we stayed indoors as directed, and watched as driving rain pounded the windows, rattled doors and hurled debris everywhere.  Winds blew trees over, seemingly dragging them out by the roots.  Yachts were tossed up onto shorelines, or sunk in the bays.  Scooters were overturned and roofs leaked. Recorded wind speed at its worst - 217 kms per hour!  I cannot imagine what the residents of Grand Bahamas and Haiti went through.
 

Some history is in order:  Since 1851 there have only been 7 hurricanes within 45 miles of Bermuda.  The only other Cat 4 in recent history was in 1939.  To add to our woes: Hurricane Nicole was hot on the heels of Hurricane Matthew - the first time ever recorded that two Cat 4 hurricanes circled in the Atlantic Ocean at the same time in the month of October.   And of all the months and years to hit, we became the lucky recipients.   What are the odds!

In the aftermath of the storm, we surveyed the damage that surrounded us.  Plants have been stripped bare of any greenery.  Sorrowful trees with bare branches or just a few fronds of palm stand as sad sentinels on all the laneways.  Leaves on certain shrubs and trees have become a crisp, dried brown as if frost bitten.  This damage occurs due to wind velocity sucking all moisture from the leaves, leaving them scorched and shriveled.   Let's hope they recover soon.

And so we have borne witness to a pretty unique phenomenon.  We can place a checkmark in a box of our experiences to date - it just wasn't on our bucket list.