Things are back to normal after bracing for a possible impact of Tropical Storm Isaac that turned out to be limited. Schools reopen, having been closed on Thursday as a precaution.
It was quite windy during parts the day, with gusts of up to 39 miles per hour measured at Princess Juliana International Airport (PIJIA). However, Winair experienced only minimal flight disruptions and Air Antilles even moved its fleet here from Guadeloupe, which was close to the cyclone’s projected path.
Seas were rough as expected, but there was no immediate report of major damage to coastal facilities, while it hardly rained. All in all, the area was basically spared any serious inclement weather.
The disturbance followed most predictions and stayed well South, but one just need look at shifts in the forecast track of Hurricane Florence during the last few days to understand that meteorology is not an exact science. The smart money is therefore always on hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
Military assistance even came from Aruba to support the locally stationed Dutch marines as requested and, together with the police, checkpoints were created at major intersections. These did not have to act in the end, because a curfew was never required.
However, the point is that they were in place beforehand had the latter been the case and to many that was a reassuring sight. Especially after the widespread looting and lawlessness directly following last year’s catastrophic passage of Hurricane Irma, security simply had to be guaranteed as best possible.
In addition to being thankful that nothing much happened, people should appreciate the efforts made by authorities, officials and others to help get the island in a heightened state of readiness. Safety first.
