Before And After: Satellite Images Show Irma's Caribbean Destruction

I have no words :(

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/12/550424499/before-and-after-satellite-images-show-irmas-caribbean-destruction

Yes, Debbie, this is very sad and tragic. From the New York Times Travel Section in the past couple of days, they have this headline: “After Irma: Caribbean Tourism, Island by Island” with these highlights for this area: “These 60 islands east of Puerto Rico, which include Tortola, are also extremely dependent on tourism and benefit from visitors from the nearby United States Virgin Islands. That’s unlikely to happen with St. Thomas and St. John in shambles. And the British Virgin Islands were themselves walloped by the storm. Sharon Flax-Brutus, the director of tourism, said in a statement that there are many homes without roofs, power outages and downed cellphone towers. The government said it’s working to restore commercial flights, but as of Monday, timing was unclear.”

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/travel/after-irma-caribbean-tourism-island-by-island.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2F travel&action=click&contentCollection=travel&regio n=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPl acement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 52,936 views for these postings.

thanks!

Guys these are best posted in the "Caribbean Other" forum since they speak to different islands.

From the London/UK Guardian today, they have this headline: “Tortola rebuilds after Hurricane Irma” with these one highlight: “Local residents, financial services companies and British troops combine to help British Virgin Islanders reassemble their lives.”

Here are some more details provided in this story: " 'Thank God for life' is a common everyday expression on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. But since Hurricane Irma smashed through the lush green landscape of the tiny British Caribbean territory, leaving at least five people dead, it has become a mantra. As the scale of the devastation has become clear, the islands are now bracing for another battering, this time from tropical storm Maria later this week. A patchwork combination of local residents, private aid from the tax haven’s myriad wealthy financial services companies and assistance from British troops will continue to help the islands find their feet. For their 30,000 residents, it is clear the road to recovery will be long – and expensive. 'Absolutely hellish,' is how Boris Johnson described the devastation when he flew in last week for a one-day show of British commitment to the islanders."

Very sad in reading these impacts. This news story does have more details and specifics as to what the UK government is doing to provide aid and help here on this island.

Full story at:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/17/tortola-hurricane-irma-british-virgin-islands

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Panama Canal? Completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! Those visuals start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

For daily updates specific to Tortola and the islands of the BVI, "bvilovercgb" is posting updates from Chuck on the TTOL forum. Very vivid and extremely helpful information on what the islanders are dealing with on a daily basis. We just pray Maria doesn't impact the relief efforts significantly.

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=bvi

From what I have gathered PR which is the lifeline for the islands affected by Irma, at this time is thought to be in line to receive a direct hit by a category 3 hurricane. Some of the relief efforts have even haulted because of Maria as PR prepares for it.

Sorry!! Here is more as to what is hitting these scenic islands. Very sad and challenging situation with above details from another CC Board thread. We will all hope for the best, but "two-in-a-row" are too, too many dire happenings.

From the London/UK Daily Mail today, they have this headline: “Category 3 Maria takes aim at the Caribbean islands leveled by Irma” with these story highlights: “The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that Hurricane Maria has strengthened to a Category 3 storm and was 'rapidly' intensifying into a major hurricane. The eye is expected to move through the Leeward Islands later Monday. The storm's center was about 60 miles east of Martinique, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. The storm is on a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Hurricane warnings were posted for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Lucia.”

Below are a couple of their graphics to better show where this storm is headed, etc.

Full story at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4895266/Hurricane-Jose-pound-East-Coast-week.html

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 187,278 views for this posting.

From the Daily Mail, here are the graphics/charts showing the Hurricane Maria path and direction.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

WOW so sad.

Very sad. We are now learning much more as to how sad and tragic have been the conditions and impacts for this entire area. There is a challenging question as to whether to cancel an upcoming cruise for these areas . . . VERSUS. . . not scrubbing as a way to help their local economies. SE Asia is our next major destination in early 2018. So, we do not have any travels to these scenic eastern Caribbean areas planned for the next year or two.

From the New York Times this morning, they have this headline:“Storms Moved On. Caribbean Islands Fear Tourists Might, Too” with these highlights: “Two ferocious hurricanes in less than two weeks caused widespread devastation, leaving dozens dead, millions without power or drinking water and countless homes destroyed. The storms also ripped through the tourism industry in a region unusually dependent on well-heeled visitors. In the wake, cruise ports and airports throughout the Caribbean are closed, beachside bars are flooded and, on many islands, tourists are absent. And the risk of a far longer term ripple effect looms, threatening the region’s ability to rebuild: Without a steady influx of cash from tourists, businesses suffer, employers cut back and local residents lose jobs; workers on especially hurricane-stricken islands could move elsewhere for opportunity, denting the local economy further.”

Their chart/graphic, shown below, gives background on the paths from these two hurricanes, plus the important shares of the local economies affected by these storm. There are many aspects from these impacts that we do not always consider. This includes: "In the Caribbean region, travel and tourism account for a higher share of the gross domestic product than they do in any other region of the world, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, and officials say it is far too soon to know when the industry will fully recover. At stake are some of the more than 2.3 million travel and tourism-related jobs in the region." This is a fairly comprehensive look at these impacts, who is hurt most and which locations can recover more quickly. As shown below, Dominica depends on tourism for 35% of their total GDP, while that economic number for the British Virgin Islands is very high at 96%. That impacts the 9,000 jobs there in tourism.

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/23/us/tourism-hurricane-economy-caribbean-islands.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 53,403 views for these postings.

Here are the NY Times charts on the hurricane impacts in these key Caribbean areas.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see this visual larger!)

>> There is a challenging question as to whether to cancel an upcoming cruise for these areas . . . VERSUS. . . not scrubbing as a way to help their local economies. <<

Understanding the extent of the damage that has been done to these islands and the many months of just recovery ahead, I don't think there is a challenge there at all. Expecting to keep an upcoming cruise to STT or Tortola in the coming months just doesn't make sense.

The people who are still there are very resilient and will rebuild their lives. During the coming several months, as power and communications are slowly restored, they will need financial support, materials, and volunteers who have the experience needed to help them. Let's help them get back their island rather than get in the way, we will know when the islands are ready to welcome us back. ;)