By the Caribbean Journal staff

The French Caribbean island of Martinique was spared after Tuesday’s encounter with Hurricane Irma, officials said.

Martinique’s Aime Cesaire International Airport reopened on Wednesday morning, with ports scheduled to reopen on Thursday.

“In Martinique, reconnaissance operations are still underway but already we can see that there is no significant damage,” said Jacques Witkowski, France’s head of civil protection and crisis response.

The rum bar at Le Petibonum in Le Carbet was back to serving cocktails on Wednesday.

Martinique was also spared by Hurricane Irma earlier this month.

“We are all deeply saddened by the devastation experienced by Dominica, Martinique’s neighbor to the North, and pray that all of our friends who are now in the storm’s path will be spared the worst of this powerful hurricane,” said Karine Mousseau, Martinique Tourism Commissioner.

Indeed, even in the north of Martinique, which was closer to the path of the storm, the island’s most popular bar, Le Petibonum, was back and open for business serving Martinique’s famous cocktail, the Ti’ Punch.

The post Martinique Quickly Back to Business After Maria appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Above: the projected path of Maria

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The eye of the “potentially catastrophic” Hurricane Maria was nearing St Croix on Tuesday evening, with Puerto Rico in its crosshairs.

Maria was 30 miles south-southeast of St Croix late Tuesday evening, and about 120 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It was expected to reach southeastern Puerto Rico Wednesday morning.

Maria’s maximum sustained winds were near 175 miles per hour with higher gusts; the storm was forecast to remain an “extremely dangerous” category 4 or 5 storm as it moved near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The National Hurricane Center said storm surges would lead to major flooding, with water expected to reach between six and nine feet above ground in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands if peak surged occurred at high tide.

A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques and the portion of the Dominican Republic between Cabo Engano and Puerto Plata.

There were also tropical storm warnings in effect for Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten, according to the NOAA.

The storm had already caused significant damage in Dominica that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit called “mind-boggling.”

Although the extent was not yet clear, there were unconfirmed reports of six deaths on the island, which was now experiencing a communications blackout.

Guadeloupe was also hit hard, with at least one dead and two people missing and widespread flooding.

Neighboring Martinique had what officials termed limited damage, however.

It’s the second severe hurricane to hit the Caribbean this month, after Hurricane Irma devastated much of the Virgin Islands, St Maarten and St Barth.

The post Hurricane Maria Moves to St Croix, Puerto Rico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Sir Richard Branson, whose own Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands was devastated by Hurricane Irma, is urging the creation of a long-term “Marshall Plan” for the British Virgin Islands, modeled on the massive US aid package that helped to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Much of the BVI was devastated by the passage of Irma.

Branson, a major advocate for action on climate change, is also advocating for the Caribbean to be “reconstructed and rejuvenated with clean energy and new jobs.”

Branson recounted his experience during Irma in a video filmed in New York.

“I’ve seen first-hand the impact climate change is having,” Branson said. “Even as the world faces increasingly shocking climate change-related catastrophes, now is our opportunity to get on top of the problem before it’s too late.”

The post Richard Branson Urges “Marshall Plan” For British Virgin Islands appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Looking for an easy island getaway? Bermuda is offering some of its biggest savings of the year right now, with a host of places to stay.

Bermuda’s calling it a “Splash Sale,” with a 30 percent discount on your stay at Bermuda hotels, meaning extra rum swizzles and spiny lobster.

The Fairmont Southampton.

The sale lasts through Sept. 22, covering travel between now and April 30, 2018.

Participating properties include everything from the iconic Coco Reef to the famous Fairmont Southampton, with the latter offering a whopping 50 percent discount.

For more information, visit Bermuda Tourism.

— Caribbean Journal staff

The post How to Save Big on a Bermuda Getaway Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hurricane Maria made landfall on the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica on Monday night as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, according to the NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.

The storm had already caused “significant damage to structures” in Dominica, according to ham radio reports.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook that his home had lost its roof and then flooded, although he was eventually rescued.

“We do not know what is happening outside. We not dare look out. All we are hearing is the sound of galvanize flying. The sound of the fury of the wind. As we pray for its end!” he posted during the storm.

The storm brought immense winds and dangerous storm surges that could raise water levels by as much as 7 to 11 feet above normal tide levels, along with as much as 20 inches of rain.

Hurricane-force winds were spreading across neighboring Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, Anguilla, St Lucia and Martinique.

The eye of Maria was expected to move over the northeastern Caribbean sea on Tuesday and then approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Some fluctuations are expected in the next day or two, according to the National Hurricane Center, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous storm as it heads toward Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The post Hurricane Maria Devastates Dominica appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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