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Hurricane Tomas Damage Pics

sandinmypants

By sandinmypants,
in St. Lucia

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dz63

dz63

Posted
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The southern end of the island got hit the worst. The bridge on the main highway between Castries in the north (cruise ship port) and Vieux Fort in the south was washed out. This effectively cuts off the north of the island from the south. They estimate that it will take a week to restore linkage between Castries and Vieux Fort and possibly three weeks to restore linkage into Soufriere. Here is the latest news...

 

http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/st_vincent_news/47156.html

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dz63

dz63

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Never having been to the island before, what will that mean in the immediate future for those that have tours booked?

 

That's a really good question. I was wondering myself how the hurricane damage will affect those who have tours booked in the immediate future. In the aftermath of Tomas, it is also unclear if any cruise ships will be diverted from St. Lucia until the infrastructure is restored.

 

When we were on tour last summer, our guide drove down the hill into Soufriere in order to get to Sulphur Springs, the Toraille Waterfall and Jalousie Beach. The Caribbean 360 news article states that the town of Soufriere will be inaccessible by road for up to three weeks, so it seems unlikely that any tour operators will be able to access these sites by land.

 

It may be a good idea to contact your tour operator or the cruise line to find out if your island excursion can still be offered.

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Vmalcolm

Vmalcolm

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I've been waiting to see our itinerary change. We're on the Summit leaving this Saturday and St. Lucia is one of our ports of call. I won't be at all surprised seeing all of the damage in the photos. What a shame. It is a beautiful island.

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dz63

dz63

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Here is an article from the Jamaican Observer. Vieux Fort and Soufriere (in the south) were hit the hardest. The roads to Soufriere are completely inacessible and the telephone lines are down.

 

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Hurricane-Tomas-kills-12-in-St-Lucia

 

Here is a Youtube video showing the hurricane destruction in St. Lucia.

 

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Jenbo57

Jenbo57

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I'm going to e-mail Spencer Ambrose this morning; first of all to see how he and his family are doing, and secondly to see how this will impact tours in the coming weeks. We don't sail 'til 11/27; perhaps things will be improved by then.

 

Very sad to see the devastation caused by Tomas!

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sandinmypants

sandinmypants

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I've sent Spencer and email as well. I'm hoping he replies by Friday night, if I don't hear from him I'm going to assume our tour is off. I'm researching other things to do. If I do hear from him, I'll be anxious to know exactly HOW we're going to get to the places we're supposed to tour.....

 

Edit to say - personally, I'm hoping they change our itinerary. We are totally beach people, and had trouble finding something to do on St Lucia - booking this tour seemed to be our only option. Without the volcano/waterfall/pitons/Jalousie beach, I don't know what else we would find enjoyable. At least without costing an arm & a leg, that is.

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mrpayroll

mrpayroll

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I've sent Spencer and email as well. I'm hoping he replies by Friday night, if I don't hear from him I'm going to assume our tour is off. I'm researching other things to do. If I do hear from him, I'll be anxious to know exactly HOW we're going to get to the places we're supposed to tour.....

 

Edit to say - personally, I'm hoping they change our itinerary. We are totally beach people, and had trouble finding something to do on St Lucia - booking this tour seemed to be our only option. Without the volcano/waterfall/pitons/Jalousie beach, I don't know what else we would find enjoyable. At least without costing an arm & a leg, that is.

We are scheduled for Nov. 15th with Spencer. Doesn't look promising. The pictures show a lot of destruction.

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drb

drb

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I've sent Spencer and email as well. I'm hoping he replies by Friday night, if I don't hear from him I'm going to assume our tour is off. I'm researching other things to do. If I do hear from him, I'll be anxious to know exactly HOW we're going to get to the places we're supposed to tour.....

 

Edit to say - personally, I'm hoping they change our itinerary. We are totally beach people, and had trouble finding something to do on St Lucia - booking this tour seemed to be our only option. Without the volcano/waterfall/pitons/Jalousie beach, I don't know what else we would find enjoyable. At least without costing an arm & a leg, that is.

 

Gosh, golly and gee willikers, I sure hope the dozen St. Lucians who have lost their lives in the storm ( to say nothing of those still missing) interfere with your vacation in any way. Having met Spencer last year I suspect his focus is helping others in any way he is able, and exactly HOW they are going to find places to LIVE!

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dz63

dz63

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The storm damage looks to be extensive. Here's a link to another report http://www.caribbeanworldnews.com/middle_top_news_detail.php?mid=4079 . St. Vincent and the Grenadines was also hit hard.

 

The forecast shows an abrupt turn to the north and a track over Haiti, possibly as a Cat. 1 storm.

 

 

The news of Tomas' aftermath seems to be getting grimmer and grimmer. The fact that the town of Soufriere is considered to be a disaster zone and people in the southern communities are wondering the streets desperate for food and water is all very disturbing and upsetting. After meeting Spencer last year on tour, we found out he lives in the southern part of the island. This is also the area that has been reported as being hit the hardest by the hurricane. I sure hope Spencer and his family are doing all right and that they are not one of those desperate for food and water!

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Jenbo57

Jenbo57

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I've sent Spencer and email as well. I'm hoping he replies by Friday night, if I don't hear from him I'm going to assume our tour is off. I'm researching other things to do. If I do hear from him, I'll be anxious to know exactly HOW we're going to get to the places we're supposed to tour.....

 

Edit to say - personally, I'm hoping they change our itinerary. We are totally beach people, and had trouble finding something to do on St Lucia - booking this tour seemed to be our only option. Without the volcano/waterfall/pitons/Jalousie beach, I don't know what else we would find enjoyable. At least without costing an arm & a leg, that is.

 

Here's what it says under the "Contact Us" section of his website:

 

*** Due to hurricane Tomas which struck St. Lucia on Saturday, Oct. 30, Spencer is currently without internet access. Please expect a delay in response. Spencer will address your enquiries as soon as his internet access is restored. ***

 

It'll be interesting to see if they detour any ships to other ports. Hard to imagine docking on an island where many of the roads are washed out, utilities are down, etc. Wait and see, I guess.

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sandinmypants

sandinmypants

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Gosh, golly and gee willikers, I sure hope the dozen St. Lucians who have lost their lives in the storm ( to say nothing of those still missing) interfere with your vacation in any way. Having met Spencer last year I suspect his focus is helping others in any way he is able, and exactly HOW they are going to find places to LIVE!

 

No need to be rude - I expressed my sympathy for those living on St Lucia in a previous post.

 

Cruising is not something we get to do 2-3 times a year, or even every other year. This is a splurge for us, and I would like to think that Royal Caribbean is not going to take us to an island that has few viable tourist attractions - that's all. Sorry if I seemed self-centered, but since we fly out on Saturday I'm kind of wondering what our next week is going to hold.

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ztacruisnmommy

ztacruisnmommy

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i dont think sandinmypants ment to be rude. been talking to her for months about our upcoming cruise and she seems nice. but i do agree that there are alot of people that are suffering.

 

i really dont want to go to st lucia now. i feel like im coming off a ship and theres going be people that need help and i will feel helpless.

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beachlover98

beachlover98

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i dont think sandinmypants ment to be rude. been talking to her for months about our upcoming cruise and she seems nice. but i do agree that there are alot of people that are suffering.

 

i really dont want to go to st lucia now. i feel like im coming off a ship and theres going be people that need help and i will feel helpless.

 

 

Been reading these posts and following situation in St. Lucia as I wil be there in less than 2 weeks myself. I'm trying to look at it unselfishly and even though I may not get to go on the shore excursion I've planned or more likely, the ship won't even dock there during this cruise, I know that I am still the lucky one in all of this. I have actually been searching the internet for information on what I could do in terms of volunteering to help those in St. Lucia, if we do actually get there. Even if it's just one day, I would gladly forgo my plans for the day if there would be something I could do to help the people there.

 

If our ship does stop there, I agree, it will be difficult to be "on vacation" when so many are going through such a difficult time. I hope that we can all be mindful of that. Since so many of these islands rely so heavily on tourism, perhaps by still having the chance to visit these islands we're able to still help in that way, however small. Right now I would rather St. Lucia have our tourism dollars if possible. I don't want to look at it as "I would rather just go somewhere else" or "it's just too depressing". I would rather still visit as long as it's not hindering any recovery efforts.

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oratheeexplorer

oratheeexplorer

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Here's what it says under the "Contact Us" section of his website:

 

*** Due to hurricane Tomas which struck St. Lucia on Saturday, Oct. 30, Spencer is currently without internet access. Please expect a delay in response. Spencer will address your enquiries as soon as his internet access is restored. ***

 

It'll be interesting to see if they detour any ships to other ports. Hard to imagine docking on an island where many of the roads are washed out, utilities are down, etc. Wait and see, I guess.

 

 

Someone posted elsewhere on the boards that their cruise is going to St. Kitts instead of St. Lucia.....everyone received a letter from the captain explaining the destruction in St. Lucia.....it is very bad.....

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Jenbo57

Jenbo57

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I have actually been searching the internet for information on what I could do in terms of volunteering to help those in St. Lucia, if we do actually get there. Even if it's just one day, I would gladly forgo my plans for the day if there would be something I could do to help the people there.

 

 

 

We volunteer where/when we can, and open our checkbooks when it's not possible. Here's a link to a Caribbean organization collecting money for Hurricane Tomas relief:

 

http://cmexmedia.org/donate/hurricane-tomas-caribbean-emergency-relief-donation/

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drb

drb

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I read that cruise ships will resume stopping in St Lucia on November 7th. We are scheduled for the 15th. Wil be interesting to say the least. Sounds like they need lot's of help getting the pieces back together..

 

Please see below joint statement by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board and the Hotel & Tourism Association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joint Statement by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board and the Hotel & Tourism Association

 

Saint Lucia Tourism Update on Hurricane Tomas

 

Saint Lucia (November 2, 2010) – Hurricane Tomas battered Saint Lucia from midday Saturday, October 30th to the wee hours of Sunday October 31st. The Category 1 storm packed sustained winds and heavy rain, which resulted in fallen trees, infrastructural damage to buildings, damage to major roads consequentially restricting access to various areas and temporary loss of utility services across the island.

 

Damage to the hotel plant was limited mainly to loss of landscaping and flooding to accommodations although a few hotels reported some structural damage. A comprehensive clean up exercise and restoration of critical infrastructure is underway and it is estimated that the country and its vital tourism industry will be back to normalcy by Friday November 12th, at which time the island will be in a position to welcome all visitors in its usual legendary fashion.

 

The Government of Saint Lucia is committed to the practice of responsible tourism and in that respect wishes to ensure the utmost safety and welfare of visitors and citizens. In collaboration with the private sector, every effort is being made to ensure the smooth departure of visitors who wish to leave by facilitating additional airlift at both airports as well as transfers between the airports. Visitors wishing to remain on island will continue to be taken care of.

 

Cruise ships will resume calls to the island on November 7th.

 

 

 

An update on the island’s progress will be sent out in 48 hours. Please contact the Saint Lucia Tourist Board’s office closest to you, Head Office: 758-452-4094; UK: 207-341-7002; USA: 1-800-456-3984 and Canada: 416-519-5642

 

FROM stormcarib.com

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jam82

jam82

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Been reading these posts and following situation in St. Lucia as I wil be there in less than 2 weeks myself. I'm trying to look at it unselfishly and even though I may not get to go on the shore excursion I've planned or more likely, the ship won't even dock there during this cruise, I know that I am still the lucky one in all of this. I have actually been searching the internet for information on what I could do in terms of volunteering to help those in St. Lucia, if we do actually get there. Even if it's just one day, I would gladly forgo my plans for the day if there would be something I could do to help the people there.

 

If our ship does stop there, I agree, it will be difficult to be "on vacation" when so many are going through such a difficult time. I hope that we can all be mindful of that. Since so many of these islands rely so heavily on tourism, perhaps by still having the chance to visit these islands we're able to still help in that way, however small. Right now I would rather St. Lucia have our tourism dollars if possible. I don't want to look at it as "I would rather just go somewhere else" or "it's just too depressing". I would rather still visit as long as it's not hindering any recovery efforts.

 

That's a very nice thought to volunteer. We too will be there in two weeks. I have a tour booked with Herod. Has anyone heard from him?

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