Out Like a Lamb

It is December -- after many terrible disasters in other places the past several years, Bermuda bid farewell to the 2013 Hurricane Season with no more than a silent whisper of gratitude for an almost storm free year.  It feels almost shameful to mark a safe year of good fortune when the Philippines was recently devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, and last year Hurricane Sandy passed us by and battered New York and the Eastern Coast of North America.  It is like feeling slightly guilty, as though the lack storms here allowed nature to conserve energy and unleash powerful beasts elsewhere.

But hurricanes (or typhoons are they are called on the other side of the globe) are a fact of life for many coastlines, including Bermuda.  Officially hurricane season in the North Atlantic is June 1 to November 30 of each year...the peak months of tourist season.  During those six months, a storm can materialize at any time, and so it is always a good idea to have preparations in place -- such as keeping fresh water and canned goods in stock at home in the event of power outages, and landowners should be diligent about keeping trees near the powerlines trimmed to reduce outages.  Most of the time, one can watch the systems online and far in advance form off the northwest tip of Africa and wind their way towards North America via the Caribbean and Bermuda before they cool off and lose their steam as they work their way north to Canada.  Good old Canada...its weather kills off large insects and hurricanes.  But sometimes they can literally pop up overnight.  Keeping an eye on weather systems like "Storm Pulse" or the National Hurricane Center becomes a bit of a habit, and a bit of a sport using them to as guides as to whether you REALLY should run out and get that fresh water and canned food you know you are supposed to have.  Plus flashlight batteries and loads of candles.  Tourists need not worry, in the six month season the island will only contend with a handful of minor storms, each lasting only a day or two.  The odds of one ruining your entire vacation are pretty slim.  You might need to stay inside and dry for one day, possibly two, but the biggest glitch the tourist will likely face is airport delays -- arriving or departing a day late.

The south shore churning before a storm

The geology of Bermuda keeps it somewhat insulated against hurricanes.  To start with...we are a pretty small target to hit directly.  But beyond random luck, Bermuda is surrounded by an extensive reef system which moderates the storm surge and height of the waves that actually hit Bermuda.  When the winds hit the island, the construction practicality of using limestone and concrete for homes rather than wood leaves the homes more resilient in their stand against the winds than in many other places.  That said, I imagine a direct hit by Sandy or anything the size of Haiyan would be much worse than anything Bermuda has yet seen.  It seems as though worldwide the size of storms and level of environmental disasters are increasing.  I twitch every time someone says they don't believe in global warming.

In my hometown in Saskatchewan, we worry about blizzards and tornadoes.  So I had to do a little learning about hurricanes when I got here.  The storm classifications are as follows -- Tropical Depression which has no defined eye and sustained maximum winds of less than 39 mph, Tropical Storm which has sustained winds of 39-74 mph, and finally a Hurricane (or Typhoon) which has a defined eye of the storm and sustained winds of greater than 74 mph.  If I have this correct, the storms turn counterclockwise here due to the Coriolis effect, and the "back end" of the hurricane actually has stronger winds, and so it can make a big difference whether the storm passes to the east or west of us.

There are several hurricanes that are well remembered in Bermuda.  The first was in 1609 and caused the wreck of the Sea Venture, which directly resulted in Bermuda's colonization.  Another in 1712 prompted islanders to change to limestone construction rather than cedar wood.  In 1926 a hurricane directly hit the island and sank 2 British vessels, the Calcutta and the Valerian, killing 88 sailors on the Valerian.  In 1987 Hurricane Emily surprised the island, picking up speed overnight and hitting the island early in the morning, far sooner than anticipated.  There were no fatalities, but people were not prepared and the damages were high.  Notably the roof of the hospital was blown off, a great reason for senior management to rebuild their current palace on the 5th floor.  Hurricane Fabian in 2003 was one of the storms that is remembered as most devastating by today's population.  Fabian resulted in 4 fatalities as people were swept off the causeway in their vehicles by the storm (the causeway is a long man-made bridge that connects the main island to St. David's and St. George's.  As well, power was lost to 35,000 homes, more than half the island, and it took up to a week in some cases to restore.  A week without air conditioning during hurricane season can be rough.

Hurricane Fabian memorial

Same beach when a hurricane approaches

Beach by Astwood on a clear day

There are two natural signs that a hurricane is coming.  One is shark oil -- fishermen determined generations ago that is you keep a vial of shark liver oil hanging outside that it will turn cloudy when a storm is approaching...a barometer of sorts.  The other is to watch the south shore.  As a storm approaches, one can see the surf get rougher days before the storm hits...the beautiful blows turn to a churning opaque sea with more of a greenish tinge as the rough seas dredge up the sea floor.  My favorite place to storm watch is Astwood Park.  Normally you can sit atop the cliffs and watch a calm sea -- as a hurricane approaches the waves crash with a ferocity that sends spray to the top of the cliffs where one normally stands, and the foaming surf completely covers the nearby beaches that one would normally walk or sunbathe on.  If a storm is bad enough, the beaches on the south shore appear totally different when the water subsides.  Stairwells are often ripped out, and the sand can several feel lower, pulled out and deposited elsewhere.

Waves crash over Astwood park from a murkier sea a few days before a storm

If a big one is coming, there isn't much to do but stay indoors with a supply of candles, flashlights, and should it be a weekend, pre hurricane parties are popular as well.  When stranded indoors, the company of friends always helps pass the time.  Having my cats, I usually find myself either at work or home, but I did make it out for a good hurricane moosemeat stew at newfie Steve's one year before it was time to batten the hatches.  Most people don't really sweat the storms...it's part of life on an island, provides much needed rain and drinking water, and clears out the deadwood and sometimes resculpts the beaches.

It is always nice to go out and watch the churning seas before a storm...but to be tucked in safely indoors by the time the rains start to fall.  In 2013, we only had one minor storm that didn't even necessitate staying indoors for the day.  A local book I read when I moved here, "Tea with Tracy" used the idiom "in like a lion out like a lamb" when talking about hurricane season here.  In like a lamb out like a lamb better describes this year, and suits me fine.