Hurricane Ivan news and updates here

[flamingosun]

Correction to above post - lowest ever recorded central pressure was Gilbert's 888mb.

During the night, Ivan reached 910 or 911mb, making it the 6th strongest hurricane in history. Back up to 919mb at 8 am advisory.

This morning, he is back to a Cat4 - by an single mile an hour - with top winds of 155 and affecting the Caymans now.

[flamingosun]

At 11 Am Edt...1500z...the Center Of Hurricane Ivan Was Located Near
Latitude 19.0 North...longitude 81.5 West Or [b]About 30 Miles[/b]...
45 Km...[b]southwest Of Grand Cayman.[/b]

Ivan Is[b] Moving Toward The West-northwest Near 9 Mph[/b] ...15 Km/hr...
And A Turn Toward The Northwest Is Expected During The Next 12 To 24
Hours. On This Track...the Center Of The Hurricane Will Move
Over...or Just Southwest Of...grand Cayman By This Afternoon.

[b]Maximum Sustained Winds Are Near 155 Mph...250 Km/hr...with Higher[/b]
[b]Gusts. This Makes Ivan A Strong Category Four[/b] On The Saffir-simpson
Hurricane Scale. Some Fluctuations In Intensity Are Likely During
The Next 24 Hours And Ivan Could Regain Category Five Intensity.

[b]Hurricane Force Winds Extend Outward Up To 90 Miles[/b]...150 Km...
From The Center...and [b]Tropical Storm Force Winds Extend Outward Up[/b]
[b]To 175 Miles[/b]...280 Km. Ham Radio Reports Indicate Sustained Winds
Of 50 To 60 Mph...with Gusts As High As 110 Mph...have Been
Measured On Grand Cayman During The Past Couple Of Hours.

[b]The Estimated Minimum Central Pressure Is 919 Mb...[/b]27.14 Inches.
Storm Surge Flooding Of 5 To 8 Feet Above Normal Tide Levels...
Along With Large And Dangerous Battering Waves... Can Be Expected
In Portions Of The Cayman Islands...depending On The Exact Track Of
Ivan. Coastal Storm Surge Flooding Of 20 To 25 Feet...locally
Higher...above Normal Tide Levels...along With Large And Dangerous
Battering Waves...can Be Expected Near And To The East Of Where The
Center Makes Landfall In Cuba.

[curly4dana]

looks like so far we're out of the path of that monster!!! we just got all power and phone lines back up and running again, but our neighbors are still out as are a lot of street lights and grocery stores...
we've had enough...
if another hurricane forms in the atlantic, i'm getting in my car and getting out of here...i've had enough stress to last me awhile...today, we start the clean up and relax.
finally......

[flamingosun]

Dana -

Congrats on getting your power back!

My brother still has none. We keep feeding him hot meals. He charged his power tools here on Friday so he could continue with repairs (nothing real real major) and he'll probably be over later today to do his laundry.

His plywood and mine are still up from Frances... not coming down just yet. Though we certainly hope he won't, Ivan [i]could[/i] still pull a Charley, and make a sharp right turn.

[curly4dana]

where is your brother?? we're in palm beach county...if you guys need anything call me!!! maybe we can help...

[flamingosun]

Dana -

How sweet of you to offer!

Thanks - you are about 3 hours from us. We are both on Merritt Island. (Right by the Spoace center and Port Canaveral) His place is just a couple of miles from mine. We are doing just fine for now...

... hoping Ivan doesn't follow Charley's example and hang a sharp right. So far, that HIGH seems to be holding. If Ivan would just [i]speed up[/i] a bit, the High wouldn't have time to weaken and give him a hole to dive into. Looking better and better for us w/ each advisory, though, thank goodness.

Really feeling for the folks on Grenada, Jamaica and the Caymans. Cuba... well, did you hear about Castro? Sounds like he doesn't exactly have his people's best interest at heart.

[CRUISEFOUR]

Flamingosun,

Since you live so close to Port Canaveral, do you know if they are dredging the harbor so the Mariner can return? All reports so far do not indicate that they have started dredging. Only shallow draft ships up to 30 feet are being allowed at this time and the Mariner requires 35 feet to navigate safely.

Thanks and good luck with Ivan. It looks as though you guys will be out of harms way this time unless Ivan takes a drastic turn to the east.

[flamingosun]

I have not yet driven over to the port (about 12 min away) but news reports say about what you already know. The Mariner still can't get in... Coast Guard has approved transit for ships with up to 28' draft. Mariner is 35'. (sovereign is 25')

A friend who was out there two days ago says they haven't started dredging the big sandbar yet... are waiting for special equipment that won't be shipped in until Ivan gets out of the way. That is only 'word on the street' however.

[yarlenna]

Local news says that they are still working on the harbor. It is open to commercial traffic, but not yet cruise ships.

[flamingosun]

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[center]Port Canaveral Update
[/center]
[i][font=AGaramond][size=5][center]
[/center]
[/i][/size][/font]PORT CANAVERAL—[b] 3:00 p.m., September 12, 2004[/b] – Port Canaveral continues to move toward full operational status with both cruise and cargo vessels this weekend returning to the harbor, which was shut down after Hurricane Frances because of navigational safety concerns.



Four large cruise ships, two gaming vessels, and several cargo ships utilized Canaveral this weekend. By tomorrow, a dredge under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be in place to begin work on restoring the channel.



"I commend our staff for the resolve and diligence it took to get Port Canaveral up and running quickly and safely after an unprecedented shutdown stemming from the effects of a storm," says Joe Matheny, Chairman of the Canaveral Port Authority Commission. "Because of strong leadership, dedication, and coordination, Central Florida’s economic engine is back on course."



Today, the [i]Disney Wonder[/i] and the Carnival [i]Fantasy[/i] returned to its homeport at Canaveral. Yesterday, the [i]Disney Magic[/i] and [i]Carnival Glory[/i] returned. Royal Caribbean International’s [i]Mariner of the Seas[/i] will return as dredging progresses. High winds expected tomorrow will prevent Royal Caribbean’s [i]Sovereign of the Seas[/i] from its scheduled return to Canaveral.



Cargo operations continue to progress with off-loading today of lumber, cement, and salt.



"Returning to normal operations would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard, under the leadership of Capt. David Lersch, and especially Lt. Pat Eiland; the Canaveral Pilots Association, especially Capt. Dave Callan; and the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," says Stan Payne, Chief Executive Officer of the Canaveral Port Authority.

[flamingosun]

We just returned from a drive...
Couldn't get close enough to the jetties to see if dreding of the sandbar is in progress or not. (Jetty Park is closed)
From where we could get to, did not see the tops of any cranes or dredges by looking in that general direction.

[gamomluvs2cruise]

Does anyone know how long it will take for the dredging?



Carol:)

[burnsie]

Still holding my breath! It looks like we may have gotten lucky. I'm sorry for those who it is heading for. Please take care and good luck!
Burnsie

[curly4dana]

thanks flamingo! looks like the hounds might still be able to get out on the mariner next weekend afterall. their hotel was cancelled but they found alternate lodgings. whew! i was worried about them!
we're still worried about getting a lot of rain or any winds at all because we still have so many trees that are on their way down and power is still out in so many areas down here. i know we won't get ivan's bad stuff, but they keep telling us we'll get feeder bands and that's more than we can handle right now. oh brother...
we're still taking care of our neighbors until fp&l gets their act together.....
flamingo, i tried to post my phone number for you, but miriam emailed me and she said i'm not really supposed to do that and she took it out. if you need anything, email me... [email="curly4dana@aol.com"]curly4dana@aol.com[/email]
take care floridians!!!!

[LuvMyVette]

[left][font=Georgia][i]Hi:[/i][/font][/left]
[left][i][font=Georgia][/font][/i] [/left]
[left][i][font=Georgia]FYI...[/font][/i][/left]
[left][i][font=Georgia]I just read this on the RCI site. Guess I won't be going to the Bahamas on my cruise in a few weeks. :( [/font][/i][/left]
[left][i][font=Georgia][/font][/i] [/left]
[left][font=Georgia][/font] [/left]
[b][size=3][/size][/b] [b][size=3]Tropical Weather Update[/size][/b]

September 13, 2004 - 7 p.m.


Royal Caribbean International continues to closely monitor the path and progress of Hurricane Ivan to ensure our guests enjoy safe and comfortable cruises and to make certain our ships steer clear of the storm. The company also continues to monitor its operations resulting from Hurricane Frances.

The safety and comfort of our guests are always the foremost concern of Royal Caribbean International.

Due to damage caused by Hurricane Frances, Royal Caribbean International is currently unable to bring its ships to Freeport, Bahamas; and Coco Cay, Bahamas, Royal Caribbean's private island. Also, Royal Caribbean International's [i]Mariner of the Seas[/i] is currently unable to sail into Port Canaveral, Florida.

In the case of Port Canaveral, a sand bar, 50 feet wide, was created by Hurricane Frances in the channel leading to the port. This has reduced the depth of the water in that area to approximately 30 feet. [i]Mariner of the Seas[/i], which normally sails from Port Canaveral, is one of the largest cruise ships in the world and requires a minimum water depth of 35 feet to safely sail. As a result, [i]Mariner of the Seas[/i] is not currently able to sail from Port Canaveral.

Given Hurricane Ivan's location and projected path, we are currently altering the itineraries of several Royal Caribbean International ships.

We will update this information three times daily - at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.


[b]Ships sailing from Port Canaveral[/b]

<LI>[b][i]Sovereign of the Seas[/i][/b], normally scheduled to depart Port Canaveral today on a four-night sailing, will now make that sailing from Port Everglades. The ship will delay its departure from Port Everglades until 8 p.m. EST. The ship will sail a modified itinerary and will return to Port Canaveral on Friday morning, September 17. Royal Caribbean will transport guests from Port Canaveral and the Orlando airport to Port Everglades. At the conclusion of this sailing, the company also will transport guests from Port Canaveral to Port Everglades and the Orlando airport.

[b][i]Sovereign of the Seas[/i][/b] will resume its normal Friday and Monday departures from Port Canaveral starting on Friday, September 17.

[b][i]Mariner of the Seas[/i][/b], originally scheduled to depart Port Canaveral yesterday on a seven-night sailing, made that sailing from the Port of Miami. The ship will sail its normal itinerary and return to the Port of Miami on Sunday morning, September 19. Royal Caribbean will transport guests back to Port Canaveral and the Orlando airport at the conclusion of this sailing. Due to Hurricane Ivan, port calls are subject to change.



[b]Ships sailing from the Port of Miami[/b]
<LI>[b][i]Explorer of the Seas[/i][/b] currently on its September 12 sailing, will not make its normally scheduled port call in Belize City, Belize, on Tuesday. Instead, the ship will spend the day at sea; make a port call in Costa Maya, Mexico, on Wednesday; and make a port call in Cozumel, Mexico, on Thursday. Royal Caribbean is awaiting word from the Cayman Islands regarding Hurricane Ivan's impact there, so Friday's scheduled port call in Georgetown, Cayman Islands, may be cancelled. The ship will return to the Port of Miami on Sunday morning, as scheduled.

[b][i]Majesty of the Seas[/i][/b]will depart Miami as scheduled today; make a port call in Nassau, Bahamas, on Tuesday; spend the day at sea on Wednesday; make a port call in Key West, Florida, on Thursday; and return to the Port of Miami on Friday, September 17.



[b]Ships sailing from Port of Galveston[/b]

<LI>[b][i]Rhapsody of the Seas[/i][/b] currently on its September 12 sailing, will not make its normally scheduled port call in Key West, Florida, on Tuesday. Instead, the ship will spend the day at sea; make a port call in Belize City, Belize, on Wednesday; make a port call in Costa Maya, Mexico, on Thursday; make a port call in Cozumel, Mexico, on Friday; and return to the Port of Galveston on Sunday, September 19.
[b]Ships sailing from Cape Liberty Cruise Port[/b]

<LI>[b][i]Voyager of the Seas[/i][/b] currently on its September 10 sailing, will make a port call in Labadee, Hispaniola, on Monday; make a port call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday; make a port call in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, on Wednesday; make a port call in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on Thursday; spend the day at sea on Friday and Saturday; and return to Cape Liberty on Sunday, September 19.

At this time, no other Royal Caribbean International ships are being impacted by tropical weather. We will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and update this information at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
[url="http://www.royalcaribbean.com/pressroom/info.do;jsessionid=0000JI9z7KanZhr42NQanXTsj9S:v2mocbr0?prDate=09-13-2004&prCode=A&showHdrImg=F"][/url]

[curly4dana]

thanks trish...i forwarded the info to friends sailing on the mariner next weekend....not sure if they knew...

[LuvMyVette]

[i][font=Georgia]Hi curly4dana:[/font][/i]
[i][font=Georgia][/font][/i]
[i][font=Georgia]Glad I was able to help. If you/your friends goes to the main RCI page, they have a listing of "Hurricane Updates". Not sure how long it will be there for. If not listed on the main page, you/your friends can go to the Press Release section for further updates. [/font][/i]
[i][font=Georgia][/font][/i]

[Jamrenjer]

Hi all-
Thank you so much for your prayers! We survived Ivan! We still do not have electricity-- but we did get our water back. We lost almost all of the trees in our yard. We were so fortunate that none landed on our house or vehicles. Our living room window was broken by a palm branch---off our royal palm. (At least the palm tree didnt come down!) We live in Montego Bay-- and for the most part all is well. Many people have lost their roofs or part of their roofs. Electricity is starting to be restored in some areas. Some parts of the island had terrible flooding. The island as a whole and the government were much better prepared this time around-- compared to Gilbert. We had strong winds of up to 160 mph-- one good thing is that many of the homes are built with lots of steel in the concrete-- even concrete roofs. Unfortunately, many people have "board" homes with zinc (tin) roofs. There was a radio station that stayed on all through the hurricane-- and our phones continued to work-- so you could phone in-- and stay in touch with others-- and know what was going on. It really kept the country connected. It was amazing how it skirted the southern part of the island-- rather direct hit.... It still was pretty scary at times- the noise of the howling wind and buckets of rain blowing in!
We are so thankful for how things have turned out! It could have been much worse. We have very limited outide info.-- and the internet is very sporadic.
Thank you again for your prayers! We continue to pray for Cayman and Cuba!

[curly4dana]

wow jam!!! great to hear you survived!!!! thank God!!! we've been spared here on florida's east coast, but there are friends of ours in new orleans that have to evac now. this is just not a good situation for any of us anymore and now we have another storm in the atlantic!!! yikes!!! TD11...soon to be jeanne and become another hurricane!!!
oh come on already!!!! can we get a break?????

[flamingosun]

Jamrenjer -

What a relief to hear the news from you that you and yours are safe!
I had been thinking and wondering about you as we watched Ivan skirt Jamaica.
Hope you get your power soon... My brother has just gotten his back night before last from Frances. It's not easy living without it...

[flamingosun]

Watch out for Jeanne.

TD#11 was upgraded to a (minimal) Tropical Storm this morning - Jeanne.

Current forecast has her possibly getting to hurricane strength :eek: by Sunday, at which time, her position is predicted to be somewhere around the eastern edge of the central Bahamas, and heading NW.

[curly4dana]

not anymore flamingo!!! as you posted on the other thread...she's looking like another monster...oh crap...please don't do this to us again!!!!!

[flamingosun]

And just a few hours later, she's got 60 mph winds, and may be a hurricane as soon as tomorrow.

The various models are not in agreement at all at this juncture... could go any one of several places from this point. Some have her status as a hurricane being very short lived, others do not.

For example - One model has her going N of P.R., another S of P.R., then N of the D.R. in the near term. A third says she'll veer NE and die.

She's definately something we need to watch, that's for sure.

[Jamrenjer]

Hi all! Thanks again for your prayers and kind words. We got our electricity back this afternoon. Only 5 days! With Gilbert it was a month-- so we are grateful. Still-- many parts of the island are without electricity and water. Everyone is really pulling together. Today we even glimpsed a cruise ship docking-- believe it was the Caribbean Princess- which was diverted from Cayman. A friend has a shore excursion here- and they worked tiredlessly to clean up-- and be ready for todays passengers. We still have limited internet and outside info-- but we hear Cayman really suffered alot-- and now the Gulf coast is getting ready right? We continue to remember all in Ivan's path with our thoughts and prayers.

[flamingosun]

Jam -
So glad to hear you have power already!

Here's what I have picked up from TV since getting up this morning:
Ivan came ashore last night at Gulf Shores...
As light comes, they will be accessing damage. Pensacola looks to have really taken a hard blow.
Multiple tornadoes spawned by Ivan once ashore, with at least two confirmed deaths from them. Two hospitals hit by smaller twisters, as well as a newspaper and civic center, with minor damage - all those still to be officially confirmed.
A couple of barrier islands expected to be pretty much 'pancaked,' in the words of one reporter.

Jeanne has now officially been declared a hurricane - and they are watching yet another TD that has potential to develop.