Hurricane season begins.... with a party?

We are now officially eight days into hurricane season and Blake and I are keeping our fingers crossed that this summer is mild despite the dismal forecast. In true Cayman fashion, the beginning of hurricane season was justification for a party ( of all things)! On Weather Central lawn they threw a massive party to usher in the start of another hurricane season. While the rest of Cayman partied it up, Blake and I did our hurricane preparedness shopping. It is necessary to have at least four days worth of food and water on hand for the season. So we perused the aisles of the grocery store looking for all things high calorie and filling. The contents of our cart began to resemble a carb-lover's paradise. Saltine crackers, granola, snack bars, jello containers, nuts and noodle soup, canned fruit, cookies, tinned tuna and salmon, plastic utensils, matches and paper bowls to name just a few. Just looking at the contents made me want to jump on a treadmill, but there is really little you can eat without electricity and a microwave. Wherever we go the topic usually turns to hurricanes. It is hard to imagine such a devastating storm hitting the island when the sky is still bright blue and the water as still as glass, but just looking at pictures from Hurricane Ivan prove that our complex alone will be both flooded and covered in sand should another category 4 hit. Speaking with locals definitely gives us a different perspective as well. My boss, crazy speedo lady, tells me that she has scuba tanks and axes in her roof so that when the flooding comes she can crawl into the attic, don the scuba attire and hack herself out through the roof. Although an interesting theory, and one that is hilarious to imagine, I think it might be a little extreme. Talking with a coworker of Blake's the other day, we were asked if we had all of our stuff ready. I mentioned we had done the shopping and he asked if we had gotten a tarp yet. "For what?" I asked. " To live under once your roof blows off!" he retorted in a serious tone. I thanked the stars that we are only renting and don't own this place!
In the event that one of more of the 23 predicted storms hit us, we will be heading to KPMG. They have a large building that exceeds the hurricane codes. In a communal living situation we will pass out the hours until it is clear to leave. It is hard to imagine what the island would look like after, and I hope we don't have to witness it. Should Cayman not win the battle with the hurricane we will be flown out to Toronto to resume work there, once the airport strip has been cleared and air traffic is allowed back in.
Although hurricanes are a serious matter here, Ivan was the last major storm in 2004. So severe was Ivan, that most people on the island now refer to events as either pre-Ivan or post-Ivan. One grocery store was open after the storm and the line up to get in wrapped around the building. It was quite a while before the electricity was restored as well. However, the loss of life was minimal and it is that fact alone that makes the oncoming season more bearable. So keep your fingers crossed with us. Blake and I will hold off on the hurricane celebration until the 30th of November!

These pictures were taken from a house right across the street from us. It has sat destroyed since Ivan, as the owner's wait for their insurance to come through ( 6 years later!)