Anniversary of Hugo in Puerto Rico

[cycloneye]

On SEptember 18th,1989 it moved thru the NE corner of Puerto Rico leaving extensive damage here with power and water out for almost 2 weeks.My personnal experience was not a good one because a window of my house broke in the middle of the action and we had to cover that rapidly with plywood but we managed to do it although in the process plemty of water got into the house.

caribepr what was your experience with Hugo in Culebra?

[caribepr]

Luis, I wasn't here for Hugo. I got to St. Croix not long after it and the aftermath is still VERY visable there, all these years later.
But...I've been shown the pictures of what happened here - much better restoration here than STX by the way - and it was very very bad. Lives lost, homes lost, boats piled up on the road leading out to Soldada.
I've talked with a lot of the old people here who lost homes and have seen the rebuilds - everything from plywood to serious concrete now. Another big one would be extremely devastating to Culebra...and our general feeling is we'd not get much in the way of help except for each other. But thankfully, this is such a strong community, we would just carry on, as they did before (yeah, I really, really love Culebra - it's why concern isn't panic here - it is just "help each other with the details of preps, and live the day to the fullest")

[cycloneye]

Luis, I wasn't here for Hugo. I got to St. Croix not long after it and the aftermath is still VERY visable there, all these years later.
But...I've been shown the pictures of what happened here - much better restoration here than STX by the way - and it was very very bad. Lives lost, homes lost, boats piled up on the road leading out to Soldada.
I've talked with a lot of the old people here who lost homes and have seen the rebuilds - everything from plywood to serious concrete now. Another big one would be extremely devastating to Culebra...and our general feeling is we'd not get much in the way of help except for each other. But thankfully, this is such a strong community, we would just carry on, as they did before (yeah, I really, really love Culebra - it's why concern isn't panic here - it is just "help each other with the details of preps, and live the day to the fullest")

That is very good what goes on in Culebra in terms of helping each other and not have panic when events like these occur.It is not the same here in Puerto Rico because the moment there is something on the horozon the rumors start to spread about a storm or cane comming and then hell breaks out with the gas stations,markets and depots in the rush.

[HUC]

I remember that ,cycloneye!!!!!!!!!!!!Hugo was just left Guadeloupe devastated......I was in the south part of this hurricane,where the winds do not exess 180kh in gusts...but,the rest of the island was litteraly like "winter in the tropics" as a journalist write.A bad,bad day...............

[caribepr]

That is very good what goes on in Culebra in terms of helping each other and not have panic when events like these occur.It is not the same here in Puerto Rico because the moment there is something on the horozon the rumors start to spread about a storm or cane comming and then hell breaks out with the gas stations,markets and depots in the rush.

Well, not much to rush to here, as you know. A lot of visitors from PR tell me Culebra isn't much like the big island at all - it's sort of its own little old fashioned country. C'mon over for a storm (if the ferries are still running and the planes are still flying), we'll show you how we do it here

[msbee]

I remember Hugo too.
Although he did not cause major damage in St. Maarten, he sure left the place in a mess.
I remember we had to move branches and debris from our front door in order to get out of the house.
And I will always remember our house guest at the time.... a wonderful man from Norway......the father of a dear friend of mine who had just died.
He asked to come visit us because of the fond memories he had of himself and his daughter here. ..and he needed some R&R.
The poor man didn't get much R&R. And he had to bathe in our swimming pool for days.. we had no lights and water for several days, thanks to Hugo.
But we were spared the worst oif that storm.

[Recurve]

Someone I knew took their sailboat to Culebra to ride out the storm. The pictures they brought back afterward will stay in my mind forever. It wrecked every boat in the harbor and killed some people who tried to ride it out.

Hugo has always been my benchmark for a horrible hurricane.

[caribepr]

Someone I knew took their sailboat to Culebra to ride out the storm. The pictures they brought back afterward will stay in my mind forever. It wrecked every boat in the harbor and killed some people who tried to ride it out.

Hugo has always been my benchmark for a horrible hurricane.

Yes...we're supposed to be a *safe* harbour and many sailors from the VI's and BVI's have holed up here. But when Ma Nature decides to change her course, there is no sure safe place to be

[Recurve]

Yes, caribepr, the hurricane hole at Culebra -- but it got the eye directly over it as a Cat 5, as I remember it, and all those sailors from around the BVI and VI were in hell.