Happy Friday!

Only real thing to be happy about today is that this storm, formally known as Gabrielle is starting to leave? And it figures soon after I post why September is a great time to visit and how everything here is empty?

From my last post we had this storm coming and that was Wednesday, and here it is Friday and this thing is still hanging around, like a nasty head cold that won't go away?

Wed night all signs were pointing toward this storm leaving the area. I put up some of our hurricane shutters before I went to bed as our house is an older masonry home with arched windows. Only problem with these windows is no glass, just screens, but we have these wood doors to close up.

Sure enough about 4AM Thursday, I hear it pouring and the wind coming from the west (normally we get easterly trade winds). I got up and found rain pouring into house. So here I am in my boxers hanging the shutters and Shannon following me with towels. I thought the Weather Service said that this storm was moving to the north and out of here?

4 AM

5AM

I finally got back to sleep around 6:30 AM but poor Shannon had to go to work. It rained on and off again but just light rain through the day. 

At 8:30 PM it was time for the first NFL game of the year! It started to rain again here pretty heavy with lightening. I guess Denver had the same issue? The game never got really going to about 9:30 PM. By that time our Dish TV was coming in and out. By 10PM I gave up and went to sleep instead. At least I had the house boarded up! 

Friday morning, I slept fine through the night, Shannon didn't I guess. While having a cup of coffee I read my emails and this alert came through:

Description:

VITEMA's 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center received no reports of significant flooding on St. Croix, St. John or Water Island.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle flooded and washed out roads on the island of St. Thomas.  Roads in the following areas have flooded:

St. Thomas Eastern side of the island
- Bolongo Bay - Flooding
- Nadir (Bridge To Nowhere)  - Flooding, utility pole sparking, cars stuck in the water
- Mandahl - mudslide
- Brookman Road  *ROAD CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING, ROADWAY COLLAPSE, CARS STUCK IN THE WATER
- Bovoni - Flooding
- Frenchmans Bay - debris in the roadway, road undermined and hillside came down in citizen's yard
Western Side of St. Thomas
- Kronprindsens Gade, manhole Cover came off
- Estate Pearl, flooding
- Contant - flooding
- Northside - trees Down in the Roadway
- North Star Village - Roadside undermined
- Soldberg - Debris and boulders in the roadway
- Crown Mountain (WGOD) - Landslide *blocking 90% of roadway
- Honduras - flooding, debris
- Veterans Drive - flooding, debris
- Mandela Circle - Flooding
- Northside (Four Corners) - Debris and boulders in the roadway

I am so glad the alert let us know that everywhere but here was ok? 

After reading this email, I ventured out onto the property to survey the damage. 

yes that is over 5 inches of rain

Pool has filled up and on the verge of overflowing into the pump closet, usually the water is right below the blue flowers.

These lovely pricker trees have decided to come into the yard?

Cistern overflowing, I was really surprised having 4 down spouts and only 1 drain we didn't flood the house. Now my favorite pictures

Shannon, I think we have a leak somewhere in our office here? Anyone know a good carpenter?

Here it is at 3PM, just GO AWAY already?

I would love to hear your story and if you have any pictures of what happened to you during this storm, please send them and I can post them. 

So I guess I spoke too soon about September, don't come here this month, it sucks. 

I know that by Sunday it will be beautiful again and I will have all the beaches to myself again! 

You know I will be happy again once this crap leaves. Good luck with your favorite football team this weekend and enjoy the first Sunday of NFL! Go Colorado Buffaloes, beat Central Arkansas, Go Yankess beat those BOSox, and well the JETS, I guess it really doesn't matter if the season starts......

Happy Friday!