Hangin' With Hurricane Earl


Visiting Puerto Rico is always exciting but this time we had an unexpected dose of excitement. The day we were scheduled to leave, Hurricane Earl arrived with gusting winds and a vicious downpour.  I've experienced many tornadoes but never a hurricane so I was a little dumbstruck. What exactly do you do during a hurricane? Of course, El Conquistador Resort staff is used to dealing with hurricanes so all the electricity was shut off and guests were advised to stay inside. As the palm trees bowed with the powerful winds and buckets of rain puddled everywhere we stepped,  we stood in a long line to check out. Dozens of panicked travelers were trying to book early flights to escape Earl but we already had our flight and we didn't worry. We flew safely back home and when we arrived, news shows flashed images of El Conquistador, which was located in the heart of the hurricane, as well as mudslides and flooding on the Eastern side of the island.  We had apparently just missed disaster.  If I ever meet another hurricane here's what I will do:

*Stay indoors, in the center of a house, away from windows
* Turn off all electricity, including computers
* Stay away from all electrical equipment including phones
* Don't shower or take a bath during the hurricane
*Be aware of the "eye" of the storm, when everything is calm. Worse winds blow from the opposite direction.
 *Be alert for tornadoes, which often happen during or after hurricanes
*Stay away from flood waters.

Those tips are courtesy of  the American Red Cross an organization that knows a thing or two about handling natural disasters., Have you ever witnessed a hurricane or other disaster while traveling?

Comments

Jean-Luc Picard said…
Dramatic picturesd, clear and well taken
Fly Girl said…
India, thanks so much.

Jean-Luc, thank you. It was a little scary taking them but I was inside!
Well, I was born in Cuba, so you could say that I was born with hurricanes as cot companions. In fact, I was born DURING a hurricane! :-)

It's still quite scary, though, experience of them notwithstanding.

Great snaps.

Greetings from London.
Fly Girl said…
Cubano, born during a hurricane? Now I wonder what significance that has for a scorpio personality?
MinnieRunner said…
I hope everyone's safe out there.
Fly Girl said…
Minnie, there weren't a lot of injuries but lots of property damage from the mudslides.
It must be terrifying - but it looks amazing! Ok, I'm weird, I really like storms. Great photos :)
Fly Girl said…
Rachel, it was scary. Why do you like storms? A hurricane is a really, really, intense storm that I'd prefer not to be around!
Anonymous said…
Those photos bring back memories for me of trees swaying outside my hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong on my first overseas trip when I was in my early twenties. The cyclone left a trail of destruction. In Sydney, Australia -- where I lived then, and up to a while ago -- it was something beyond my experience.
That is so odd they'd actually advise not to shower or take a bath during a hurricane! I guess that makes sense, but something I normally wouldn't consider a "big issue" LOL!
Fly Girl said…
Andrew, that sounds really scary! I'm glad you survived. Thanks for dropping by.

Jen, I think it has to do with wires and connected electricity.
Living in S. Florida I have experienced my fair share of hurricanes. Im so used to them I carry on as normal until notified other wise since you never know when they are going to change courses.

-Thomas
Bluegreen Kirk said…
Hurricanes that I have experienced havent been too bad i guess i have been just lucky. Usually I just stay indoors until its over.
Fly Girl said…
Thomas, I don't know if I could ever grow used to hurricanes!

Kirk, I hope you don't use electronics when you 're indoors waiting out a hurricane!

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