Fiona is not expected to have major impact on the local area as it passes some 90 miles Northeast of St. Maarten, with 40-mile-per-hour winds and gusts up to 50. The system was considered a minimal tropical storm last evening, and while storm force winds extended outward up to 140 miles from the centre, that was on the always-stronger North side of the cyclone.
People certainly should not let their guard down, because tropical storms can be somewhat unpredictable. At the same time, the latest tropical wave coming off the African coast is already on its way.
This is definitely the height of the hurricane season and one has to conclude that considering the strength, size and close proximity of Hurricane Earl, the islands where this newspaper is published came through fairly well. The local Met Office even stated that the winds were "only" 68 miles per hour, which some might find hard to believe looking at the considerable damage it ended up causing.
One weak point remains the vulnerability of St. Maarten's electricity supply. Despite the fact that most cables were laid underground especially after the devastation caused by Hurricane Luis in 1995, problems with the intake of seawater used for cooling in the plant mean many people are left without power for at least part of the day anyway.
The newest GEBE units came with their own cooling systems, but do not have enough capacity to supply the entire Dutch side. Because the seas most likely will continue to be rough for some time with the passage of Fiona, it probably will take a while before the intake problem is solved so that the current power load-shedding in non-priority districts can cease.
The latter translates into a lot of inconvenience, especially for lack of a public schedule, and in some cases into costly loss of business. That is hardly a desirable situation, especially if it lasts longer than a day or two.
As an island in the hurricane belt that has suffered several direct and sometimes devastating hits over the past decades, St. Maarten needs to address this vulnerability when it comes to its power supply. More generators that do not depend on water intake for cooling apparently are in the planning and GEBE should waste no time in making the necessary investments to end this recurring seaweed nightmare.
