A Leap of Faith

The last two weeks has presented a completely different reality and some challenges I’d never faced before, in the form of a natural disaster and the aftermath. The southern part of St Lucia took a direct hit from Hurricane Tomas on 30th Oct. We’d been tracking a big system online for 2 days already and were semi-prepared for what was to come, the majority of the island was not.

For some strange reason the official word and warning comes from Miami and the local centre do not have control. If the control was localised perhaps a hurricane warning would’ve been released in time for people to prepare. Instead a tropical storm was announced until the 11th hour when in fact it turned into a major hurricane of category 2-3 as it moved across the island. The locals don’t really bother about a tropical storm, but with a hurricane warning there are specific procedures to prepare for the hurricane itself (securing property) and the aftermath (drinking water, candles, etc). Since it was creole weekend, many people were still dancing in the streets when the heavy rains and winds had started. ‘Go to your homes!’ the radio presenter urged. Unlikely any of them were listening to the radio by that point, they were already into their annual celebrations.

The hurricane was very slow moving, building in power and intensity as it went. We watched it from the safety of the terrace for an hour or so, until the energy of it suddenly changed and we raced back inside and began holding onto doors and in my case, hiding behind them. The hurricane felt like it was otherworldly. The sounds it made were like I’d never heard before (reminding me of the strange unseen ‘thing’ in Lost). It went on for hours and hours. Before each blast of wind you heard this strange noise, a minute later it was a case of brace yourself… not knowing what we were about to experience, hoping that nothing would come flying in through a window and the tree that kept knocking the kitchen roof would remain standing.

As it happened we were fairly well protected. The many trees around the estate provided a shield. Still, it’s incredible how intense the experience was. My insides were churned up and I was absolutely exhausted from bracing and tensing constantly for about 12 hours. I think I was in shock for another 12 or so after that.

Dealing with the aftermath is another experience again, a period of time needed to digest - did that really happen? When there’s no power, no water, and no communications of any kind and you cannot travel since the roads are either blocked by fallen tree or have collapsed altogether, you have no idea what’s happening anywhere else apart from your immediate surroundings, your own little bubble. At this point I was so grateful for being in a place that felt like home, rather than in some guesthouse or hotel, that had already harvested a large supply of rainwater, had a big freezer and a fair amount of food.

The first week was spent clearing fallen trees and branches from the main grounds and keeping food from spoiling in the humid climate, receiving a drip feed of information about elsewhere on the island and going to bed around 1830 - there’s not a lot you can do when everywhere is pitch black. A national emergency was declared, at points things looked very grim indeed. Realising you don’t know when you’ll have power, water, communications, or fuel means you have to prepare a bottom line. We had food on the land and a enough rainwater to last a couple of months, so with that knowledge it keeps one sane. Most others didn’t have this luxury, and when I focused on that the appreciation and gratitude flowed really easily and I really felt like I was living in abundance!

Power was restored within a week, communications shortly after and got some water back through the pipes after about 10 days - although it smells a bit funny to me. Amazing how excited you can get about these basic things one assumes will always be available. And how when they suddenly disappear again (as things are still a little shaky) you realise you’re already taking them for granted again.

The last few days has been spent investigating how best to get around the island so I can take a flight, the situation changing several times a day it seems as the transport system gets back in synch. I’ve already overstayed my visa by a few days - I trust this will looked upon with kindness and understanding when I handover my passport tomorrow!