Grenadians Preparing For Hurricane Emily

Hardbeatnews, ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Thurs. July 14, 2005: With the painful memories of Hurricane Ivan still visible around Grenada, nationals are taking no chances and are applying the Scout’s motto of “Be Prepared” as Tropical Storm Emily became a hurricane late yesterday and moved closer to the Spice Isle.

At 11 p.m. last night, Emily was about 45 miles east-southeast of Grenada, according to forecasters of the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

The island was placed under hurricane watch early yesterday and officials of the National Advisory Emergency Council said it would release the names of the 32 hurricane emergency shelter today.

In a jiffy, supermarkets, shops, warehouses and places which stock emergency supplies were jam-packed with customers ordering any and everything that will secure them from the wrath before, during and after a hurricane.

Emily is moving toward the west near 18 mph and was set to pass through the Windward Islands last night and emerge in the southeastern Caribbean sea early this morning. Maximum sustained winds were near 90 mph.

Grenada is still recovering from Hurricane Ivan, which hit the island on September 7, 2004 leaving behind a trail of destruction that destroyed 90 percent of the housing stock and left 37 dead.

Last night, a hurricane warning was also in place in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia while the governments of Venezuela and Trinidad were under a storm warning.

However, the government of Barbados discontinued its tropical storm warning but a tropical storm watch was put in effect for Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba.

Emily is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 6 inches across the Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, portions of northern Venezuela and the Netherlands Antilles.

Coastal storm surge flooding of 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels can be expected near and to the north of the path of the center. – Hardbeatnews.com