In the past twelve years of housesitting we have spent a cumulative total of over four years living in the Caribbean Windwards Islands (Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada).
When asked “Aren’t we scared about the risk of hurricanes in the Caribbean?” we have always responded with “not really as we spend most of our time in the south where hurricanes are less common”. To be more accurate we are usually between 12 and 14 degrees North of the Equator. Most of the storms we have seen form head our way briefly then turn north. Some fizzle out and some turn into Tropical Storms or Hurricanes and do damage further North’.
Past Performance is no Guarantee of Future Results
Well, this year proved us wrong that’s for sure!
When we were offered this particular sit, we had the choice of either – end of May through June, or all of September, we opted for June as the weather is usually nicer and the risk of hurricanes is far less. Wrong again!
Upon arrival in the island’s we knew things were going to be different. It was unseasonably hot and sticky, apparently the weather had not cooled down during the winter months as it usually does. This did not bode well for the upcoming hurricane season.
Getting into the Groove
We slowly adjusted to the heat, helped along by dips in the enormous pool and trips to our favorite beaches. Over the first few days we learnt the ropes, for what has to be the most unusual home we have ever looked after. By the time our hosts left we were pretty comfortable we had it all under control, including how to close and open the louvres and storm doors as needed.
We soon settled into a routine with the cats, dogs and staff, with everything ticking along smoothly. Although it did take us a little while to get used to living in what was basically outdoors. The whole home takes the concept of outdoor living to a new level, it felt like we were Uber Glamping in the clouds.
Shadows of Things to Come
Our first sample of things to come was about 10 days in, we were upstairs when a sudden rain squall hit us. From the bedroom it looked pretty normal, but when we checked the front of the house, that was a different story. The rain was coming in sideways; the whole kitchen/dining area was being rained upon. We dashed downstairs to deploy the storm doors and were soaked through in seconds. Then it was time to clean up the puddles before cleaning up ourselves. Within an hour the sun was shining and there was nothing amiss in the world.
One of our routines whilst in the islands is to keep an eye on various weather stations, as this allows us to keep an eye on what is likely to head our way. Disturbances tend to form in the Atlantic off of the coast of Africa, slowly making their way towards the Caribbean either as tropical waves or potential tropical storms. Over the years we have watched many of these storms form before heading north. Sometimes we have had these tropical storms pass over us (including Ian, Dorian, Harvey, Matthew, Irma & Maria) giving us some gusty winds and lots of rain before heading north and building into Hurricanes and wreaking havoc as far afield as Canada and the United Kingdom.
Storm Clouds on the Horizon
The first hint of trouble showed up the morning of Tuesday June 25th when a little yellow cross showed up on the National Hurricane Centers map. This was a new system with a low probability of development into a storm. On the 26th the probability increased, and then jumped again on June 27th. Later in the day that little yellow cross had become a tropical depression.
Tropical waves are pretty common in this part of the world and it is only when they develop into Tropical Storms that they are named. The first storm of the year will have a name beginning with A and the next will begin with a B. Names also alternate between male and female. 2024’s first named storm was Alberto and the second–whom we were to become very familiar with–was named Beryl on Friday the 28th when she became a Tropical Storm.
This was the day following our hosts return home. We had done handover and as we were officially off duty, we headed to the beach for some R & R and our hosts went to catch up with friends. Upon our return home, to find out that we now had a named storm coming towards us was a little concerning. We had ridden out many storms before, so it wasn’t a major concern. Plus, we had already figured out where we would hunker down if a storm was to hit, as is our usual practice here in the islands.
Serious but not Desperate
On the morning of Saturday 29th June 2024, Beryl became a Category 1 Hurricane and by the afternoon a Category 2. After a serious discussion with our hosts, we made the decision to bail and caught the 4 pm ferry into Kingstown. This all happened so fast we were scrabbling to find somewhere to stay, as we were originally supposed to stay on site until the 2nd July as our flight to the UK was on the 3rd.
The forecast was predicting that Beryl would increase in intensity and that the eye was heading straight for St Vincent & the Grenadines. We were offered a friend’s house which is lovely, perched high on a hillside on the Windward side of the island as it is. But after realizing that we could be facing anything from a 150 to 250 kilometer per hour winds, we decided that we needed something more sheltered.
Fortunately, we know the islands fairly well and have stayed in a few different hotels, so we were able to consider each one in turn. We settled on The Cobblestone Hotel in Kingstown. It was built sometime in the 1800’s, is very solidly built and is also protected on either side by two slightly taller buildings. The only downside we could see is that it might flood, if we took a direct hit and got the estimated 6 to 9’ storm surge.
In for a Bumpy Ride
The ferry ride over from Bequia was a little bouncy. We took on one nasty wave which had my heart racing for sure, but it calmed down after we got through the main channel. We made it safely to land and checked in at the Cobblestone. The staff were excellent and when we said we were going to ride out Beryl there, they offered us a lovely room on the ground floor. Which we took, as it had a big bathroom that would make a perfect ‘panic’ room. Supermarkets were still open, so we stocked up on food for a couple of days, water, candles etc.
The first edges of Beryl were supposed to hit us either late Sunday or early Monday. So we settled in for a restless night, running through scenarios in our heads and trying to figure what we needed to do to get ready. ‘Prepare for the worst and hope for the best’, was the maxim going through our heads.
Things were Getting Real
We woke on Sunday 30th to find that Beryl had intensified into a Category 3 but had also veered a little to the south of us, so we might be fortunate and not be hit by the eye, just the outer edges. Later in the day Beryl became a Category 4 with the potential of sustained wind speeds between 131 -150 miles or 210 – 250 kilometers per hour.
We spent the day letting everyone know what was going on. Plus trying to plan for worst-case scenario’s i.e. complete devastation and lack of power and internet for days, or if we took a direct hit maybe much longer. We did everything we could, with what resources we had, which in a hotel room is somewhat limited.
Sunday afternoon we decided to get some sleep whilst we could, or at least I did. Mike had been concerned right from the beginning about the potential of flooding. If we were to be hit directly by the eye or center of the storm, there would be a considerable storm surge of 6 to 9′, plus waves on top of that. So being on the lower floor, even though it was at least 4’ above street level, was not sitting well with him.
Not Sitting Well
After watching the latest meteorological updates and understanding a little more of the effects that the unusually warm water this year was having on Beryl. Mike decided we needed to relocate onto a middle floor. The staff kept insisting that we wouldn’t flood as it “never had in the past”, but then they had not had a Category 4 or 5 Hurricane hit them before, so we decided to play safe and move.
We had a choice of rooms and chose one with a very small window off a central corridor, as that would help limit the risk of flying projectiles impacting us. We carted all our belongings and supplies up and set about making our room as secure as could be. At this point we still had power and water so we refilled our water supply and got off a few messages as we were told the power was going to be turned off that evening.
All this time Beryl was still headed our way, but she had done a wobble to the south, which was good for us but not good for other islands down the chain. Problem with hurricanes is that they are very unpredictable and can change direction without warning. She could turn back to us at anytime and once we lost power, we would have no way of tracking her.
The Angst before the Storm
We spent a restless night and awoke to find that Beryl had not yet arrived and that we still had power. A quick check showed that the eye was still heading to the south of us. It looked we were going to be exceedingly lucky and would only experience the lesser wind speeds on her edges.
A Multitude of Storms
On Monday July 1st Beryl landed as a Category 4 in the Grenadines with Union, Canouan & Mayreau taking the brunt of it. As did the Grenadian island of Carriacou.
We didn’t feel anything until around 9 am when the wind started to whistle and howl outside. It got a little more pronounced as the morning progressed and we lost power around 10/11am. Maybe because of where we were in the building, we hardly felt it all, for us it was just like riding out another tropical storm.
Although there was quite the storm brewing next door, even with a hotel as solid as this one, we could hear the couple yelling and screaming at each other in the next room. We couldn’t help but hear it and, in some ways, it helped take our minds off what was going on. But we were concerned when we heard people leaving and stomping off down the corridor into the storm.
By 2.30/3pm we deemed it safe to venture out and immediately headed upstairs to the rooftop terrace. The normally flat, calm blue seas where a churned steel grey, angry with great rolling waves crashing against the cruise ship dock, causing regular blowhole plumes and pounding the ferry piers.
We Dodged a Bullet
We had survived a Category 4 / 5 Hurricane making landfall in the Windward Islands. However, we did not the full force of Hurricane Beryl, we only had to deal with the outskirts of the system and did not have to deal with wind speeds of 210 – 250 kilometers per hour and we are extremely grateful for that.
By 5pm we went out to check out some of the damage, which included a huge gap in the parking lot wall by the Massy supermarket, where the waves were still crashing through and flooding the road. Waves were still pounding the ferry terminal and part of the pedestrian way in and out of the dock had collapsed leaving a big hole which the waves were still leaping from. Security huts were overturned and two small white trucks were pinned against the fencing next to the passenger terminal. Waves were still flooding the cruise ship terminal and the whole area was covered in debris, garbage and mud.
One guy told us he was part of the clean up crew and that they were going to be busy for awhile. The resilience of these island people still astonishes us. In the last four years they have ridden out Covid, a volcanic eruption when Soufriere blew its top in April 2021 and now a Catastrophic Hurricane.
Power was back in Kingstown by 2pm July 2nd which is just over 24 hours, other parts of the island took longer but most was back in a few days.
Getting Back to ‘Normal’
St Vincent was extremely lucky, Union, Mayreau & Canouan not so much as they took the full force of Beryl who landed as a Category 4 / 5. Power lines downed, 90 to 95% of houses destroyed or severely damaged, and barely a stick of green left on the islands.
Our beloved Bequia took more of the brunt than we did, but everyone we know is safe and well. There was damage to a few houses with the most notable one being the one we had vacated just a few days ago. Our hosts did what they could to prepare for the storm and hunkered down in a neighboring house with the dogs. They are all okay, but the house lost most of its roof and they are now dealing with the aftermath, salvaging what they can and getting on with the clean up process.
As we ended being stuck on island for longer than expected due to flight cancellations we met some of the evacuees from the badly hit islands. Their stories are heartbreaking to say the least. What really hit it home for us was seeing whole families getting off the ferries in Kingstown, carrying all that’s left of their worldly goods in a few small suitcases, backpacks or hastily stuffed shopping bags. We have done what we can to help here and we know they will get through this as they are a resilient people.
Post Beryl we are safe and well although a little bruised (emotionally and mentally) we were exceedingly lucky. We had asked for your good wishes to the Weather Gods and we think they heard you.
Thank you!
Yvonne & Michael
