Will the hurricane affect Trinidad?

Antigua
winds already gone into the northeast and steadily increasing.it's been flat calm to slight breeze(as is usual here in october and november} for the past weeks until yesterday when ever so slowly the speed has increased to now a steady 12-15 kts as i said from the n.e.we all still believe it will pass south but as time passes it's becoming less and less south!it really does look impressive.i believe that the worst damage will be to the banana crops between guadeloupe and st.lucia.they are very susceptible to wind.there is no panic or scurrying.it seems quite certain that even if it becomes a cat.1 we'll manage easily-not at all like the bahamas a few weeks ago.we surely need the rain.of course all the boat people are already nervous.the amazing thing is how late in the season it is.i bet dr.gray is saying "i told you so"
the bush telegraph is amazing.everyone seems to have known about the storm even before the met. office.the internet is making a big impact on this sort of info- spreading.i guess MARTHA will be packing her birds away for the umpteenth time.more later.

St. Lucia
Un-researched rumor has it that St. Lucia has only been hit by three hurricanes in recorded history and certainly ALLEN in
1980 was the only one so far this century (tropical storm DEBBIE in 1994 and other tropical storms have caused much damage
from heavy rain but without the necessary wind speed to qualify as hurricanes).
As a result it is difficult to get Lucians very excited about forecast storms, of which there have been many, and this certainly has
been the case with JOSE. Fortunately we, yet again, seem to be in for a miss. School are closed today however.
This morning the winds are calm, temperature 83.5, barometer 29.9 and steady (but down a little from this time yesterday) and
6 tenths of an inch of rain in the last 24 hrs. here in Marigot Bay.
About 50 boats are tied off in the mangrove in Marigot, they are mostly local day boats and charter boats.

ANTIGUA
IS ON A HURRICANE WATCH AS OF 8 P.M. MONDAY NIGHT... THAT MEANS WE "COULD BE" IN HURRICANE CONDITIONS WITHIN 36 HOURS... AND THAT WE SHOULD ALL PAY ATTENTION... EVONE GETTING RELAXED ABOUT IT ALL THIS LATE IN THE SEASON. WAS ON A BIG CONSTRUCTION SITE NEAR MY HOME TODAY (had print out of STORM 99 info on JOSE... all the guys would hardly believe there was something so close there... it sort of slipped up on us!
Old Captain Woolly could have told us not to get complacent......He was in command of the Royal Mail Steamer THE H.M.S. RHONE . She was sunk in the British Virgins by a late season hurricane on October 19th, (That's TODAY) 1867 (some research says October 29th).
Anyway, our met office is wise to put us on alert...as have lots of other islands. It is now 2 a.m. and they say they will give us a better pic. of what to expect at 6 a.m. For me, I am grateful we are getting the info the Hurricane Hunter airplanes provide us in the heroic service those guys and gals do with PRECISE info...not just satellite info. No body doing much yet as this all came to our attention late Monday afternoon.. but John is right... if I can catch my beautiful free flying wild molucan cockatoo at first light when she comes home to feed, I sure will... then I only have 46 other birds to think about!!!
At least this thing is NOT A LUIS OR even a GEORGE...but looks like we will get some outer winds bands for sure...and hopefully needed rain...
will know more after the sun comes up!.....

U.S. Virgin Islands
As of 2pm Hurricane watches in effect for these islands. Visitors should contact their airlines and accommodations for updates. Current path expects this area to feel effects of JOSE as soon as Thursday AM.

Hi everyone,

This late season hurricane has surprised many people here in guadeloupe.
A hurricane warning has been issued around noon, and all the schools closed
at this time.
This afternoon was, for many people, devoted to consolidating houses and all
the usual preparations. The Pointe-a-Pitre airport should be closing very
soon, as the authorities will declare the "hurricane alert". At this point
everyone should stay at home.
However, Jose is not very impressive yet and everyone seems to be handling
him with calm. No rushes in the stores, nor giant traffic jams were seen
this afternoon.
For now, the sky is overcast, but there's no wind and we had only a few
rainy moments. I'll try to post another update, around 11pm EDT, to tell
you how things are going.
NHC track predictions bring Jose right on our island, but my feeling is
that the most active part of him will pass north... we'll see.

Sebastien Enselme
Sainte-Rose, Guadeloupe

US Virgin Islands

As of 5 PM, the governor of the USVI cancelled all public schools for Wednesday. Only essential workers are to report to work on Wednesday. People seem to be taking the hurricane warning seriously. Traffic was of rush hour size at 3 pm. Lines at gas stations were long as were the lines at grocery stores. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

St. Barths

Does anyone know of the existing conditions?

Est ce que il y a information sur le condition de cet isle?

Saba Well Prepared for Hurricane Jose

Lt. Governor Antoine Solagnier reports that Saba is well prepared for
Hurricane Jose. "Everyone is better prepared than last year. The level of
attention is higher," Solagnier points out. The National Hurricane
Committee met on Tuesday morning to discuss the approaching Hurricane and a
plan of action.

The Department of Public Works (DOW) throughout Tuesday started to close up
Government Buildings. This action will continue and be completed on
Wednesday morning. The Terminal Building at the Juancho Yrausquin Airport
has been boarded up and all telecommunications and air traffic control
equipment secured. All vessels with the exception of one dive boat at the
Fort Bay Harbour have been taken out of the water or have sought shelter
elsewhere.

Advisory
The Lt. Governor is advising all residents to only go outside on Wednesday
if necessary. Those who have not completed their hurricane preparations in
relation to
boarding up their homes should do so early Wednesday morning. The
Department of Public Works will be making their final preparations in
relation to the final approach of Hurricane Jose.

Governor to Address the Nation
Lt. Governor Antoine Solagnier will be addressing the people of Saba on
Wednesday October 20 on the local Radio Station PJF-1 93.9 FM pertaining to
the approaching hurricane. Solagnier will at that time provide additional
information to the residents of Saba. Residents are asked to stay tuned as
the time for the national address is not yet known.

Emergency Hurricane Shelters
Emergency Hurricane Shelters will be open from Wednesday morning at 10.00am
They will be manned by two marines. On Tuesday the shelters were prepared
and stocked with medical and other supplies.

The Governor has established an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at his
Residence in The Bottom. A satellite telecommunications system has already
been set up and is functioning.

A contingent of 13-Dutch Marines arrived on the island on Tuesday just by
coincidence. They were on another assignment, but will be used to man the
EOC, and the Emergency Hurricane Shelters.

The decision to bring in additional Police or other support personnel from
various branches of Government or other bodies according to Solagnier will
be made at a later stage. Otherwise everything is ready and all
preparations have been made.

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN - By mid-afternoon preparations were fully underway by residents, visitors and business people. The Governor announced at about 2.30pm exactly what measures government was taking and what residents and visitors should also do to protect themselves and their property.

Supermarkets have been overflowing with people buying dry goods, batteries etc. Their were also long lines at the gas stations as people stopped by to fill up gas tanks. Traffic was much heavier than usual as people shuttle back and forth making their preparations for the coming of Jose.

The Governor asked hardware stores to remain open a little longer giving people time to purchase materials to board up their homes and businesses. Certain businesses are fully boarded up while other are waiting until early Wednesday morning.

Various airlines have cancelled their flights for Wednesday while some flights are still scheduled to depart the island on Tuesday evening.

Vessels were seen seeking shelter in the Simpson Bay Lagoon throughout the day on Tuesday. Preparations have been just about completed at the Roll On Roll Off Pier: containers that were stacked three high are now stacked two high; those near the sea have been removed; additional pilings have been driven into the seabed to strengthen and secure the construction area of the new cruise pier; measures have also been taken to protect the Capt. Hodge Wharf. The SS Norway was in port today and the guests enjoyed their visit to the island. The sea state was welcoming for the tourists.

Tourists spending their vacation on the island have been preparing as well to weather the storm and also prepare for the experience.

Schools will be closed on Wednesday; certain businesses will also be closed. The Governor has announced that a curfew may be applied if
necessary in order to prevent people from going out un-necessarily. He has also warned residents about possible flash flooding in low lying areas and to avoid certain roads that may become inaccessible due to flooding.

A military contingent of 30 arrived on Tuesday with equipment from Aruba to assist the local authorities in various areas.

The island has been experiencing throughout the afternoon some intermittant showers. The sea state remains moderately calm, but one can sense that something is going on. The wind speed has picked up a bit.

Please contact me if you are in need of Motorola satellite telephones. When telephone and cellular lines are down, it has been THE means of communication to the outside world. The prices are dropping everyday so don't hesitate to call.
I now have representatives in most caribbean islands if you would like to speak to someone locally. Please email or visit www.angelfire.com/fl3/motorolasatellite for information. Thanks and god bless.

Hey Ansen, Sophia, How is everything going. I am praying for you all. I hope everything goes well and St. Thomas doesn't get annialated with this new hurricane. Men, this is a big surpise.

Conditions in St. Thomas
Thank You Nadia for the good lucks- Right now it's raining alot. We just covered everything at work. The mall is closed today. The governor has issued a curfew for 6pm it was 3 pm but has been extended to give people more time to prepare. The news reports seem to predict that Jose's course will take it more north so it would impact Anguilla, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy more than us but then anything is possible with nature. Hard to be 100% certain with an intity that can not be controlled. People are lining up for gas- last nigth the lines were like 25 cars long. And the grocery stores are full. Everyone getting ready.

Good luck to all you guys down there on St. Thomas, STX and STJ. It looks now as if the worst of Jose will pass to the outskirts of your islands. But, when did we ever trust a hurricane. Prepare, be ready and we're praying for you. Especially all you folks at Radio Shack!!!!