Hurricane Felix Strengthens To Category 5

Storm Drenches Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire As It Heads For Central America

(AP)  Hurricane Felix strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm Sunday and churned its way into the open waters of the Caribbean Sea after toppling trees and flooding some homes on a cluster of Dutch islands.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Felix was packing maximum sustained winds of 165 mph as it plowed westward toward Central America, where it was expected to skirt Honduras' coastline Tuesday before slamming into Belize on Wednesday as a hurricane capable of massive destruction.

On Sunday, Felix lashed Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire with rains and winds, causing scattered power outages and forcing thousands of tourists to take refuge in hotels.

"Thankfully we didn't get a very bad storm. My dog slept peacefully through the night," said Bonaire medical administrator Siomara Albertus, who waited out the storm in her home with her Labrador Retriever.

The storm forced tens of thousands of tourists and residents on the three islands off Venezuela to remain in their homes and hotels, stocked up with water, flashlights and emergency provisions.

Felix became the second Atlantic hurricane of the season on Saturday evening, following Hurricane Dean, which left at least 20 dead in the Caribbean and carved out a destructive swath that stretched from St. Lucia to Mexico.

Felix changed directions constantly after nightfall and wobbled, making the storm's impact hard to predict, Curacao Lt. Gov. Lizanne Richards-Dindial said at a midnight news conference. "Felix is playing with us," she said.

On Saturday, Felix brought heavy rains and strong winds to Grenada as a tropical storm, ripping roofs off at least two homes and destroyed a popular concert venue. No injuries were reported and the Grenadian government was still assessing the damage Sunday.

The government of the Cayman Islands issued a tropical storm watch for Grand Cayman, the wealthy British territory's main island. A watch means that tropical storm conditions could begin affecting the island within 36 hours.

"Remember that Hurricanes Mitch, Wilma and Michelle passed far from the island yet tropical storm force winds, waves and storm surge damaged coastal areas," said Barbara Carby, director of the Cayman hazard management office.

Jamaica's government also issued a tropical storm watch. The island was battered by Dean on Aug. 19.

In Belize, residents stocked up on water and food, and nailed boards over their windows to protect against the hurricane's howling winds. Many in low-lying areas sought higher ground.

Things were more calm in Honduras, where authorities were keeping a close eye on the storm but hadn't started evacuations. Along the country's northern coastline, tourists were still lounging by the pool and enjoying the sun.

On Honduras' Roatan Island, home to luxury resorts and pristine reefs, the weather was normal and guests were simply enjoying their vacations, Mayan Princess Beach Resort & Spa employee Arturo Rich said.

Rebecca Waddington, a meteorologist at the hurricane center, advised employees of oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico to monitor Felix's progress and said the storm could reach the area in four to five days.

Along the Pacific coast of Mexico, meanwhile, authorities discontinued storm warnings as Tropical Storm Henriette moved out to sea.

Henriette dumped heavy rain on western Mexico earlier, loosening a giant boulder that smashed into a home in Acapulco, killing an adult and two children and injuring two other people. A teenager and her two brothers were also killed when a landslide slammed into their house in a poor neighborhood of the resort city.

Forecasters put it on a path that would not threaten land until Thursday, when it could hit a remote section of the Baja California peninsula.

[dconna]

I thought the comment section was for people to talk about the news article? Some of you people are way out there with those comments, take it somewhere else. I''m not here to read your political views and nonsense poems.
Now back to my comment: I thought Aruba was outside the hurricane belt?
thank you

[ubrew12]

Who knew I''d find such great poetry on this thread?

In ''78, we went to a rancher in Belize, who took us up to his corral. It was oddly symmetrical, but we didn''t worry it. Later, he admitted that it was the top of a Mayan temple. We should have realized: that part of Belize is a plain. If you are on any kind of a hill, it''s likely a human construction of some kind. Bizarre.

Hope felix spares it, and them.

If you''re ever near Tikal, look up ''El Gringo Perdido''. It''s a great hotel, run by a guy from Texas.

[bobgee_1999]

gotta wonder
about people like snidegrass.
is his/her utter flakiness
confined to the Net,
or does it manifest in
his/her daily life?
is the room where
snidegrass grows
a dark and damp hovel,
a fungoid playground
of empty take-out containers,
fading posters in tatters
and crusty gym socks
devoid of light and joy?
does the puerile rip-off
e.e. cummings facade
denote a college student
past or present whose glory days
and ambitions to publish
are a whisper in the wind?

[tnt1954]

just heard on cbs radio how henrietta the hurricane is headed towards baja california,
a measly force 1 hurricane or tropical storm.
let''s get that storm up to a much higher category, steered to southern california,
to save us from the fire danger. hopefully
it''ll dump five inches of rain in five hours.
hopefully on labour day, to put a real damper
on the festivities of pyros who lurk in
the southern calipornia area. its just too hot.
please cool this area off. mercy. arson
squad can hold hang on so much longer.
they tire. they weary. come on Mother Hen.
c''mon Little Red Hen. you can do. chicken or
the egg? what came first. your guess is as
good as mine. go hurricane center go.
steering committee have mercy on us.

[tnt1954]

the billy graham story. he grew up and in favor
with the Lord, in stature also. liken unto
christ as all christians are supposed to be
christlike, walk in his steps. that was famous
christian book, in his steps. its main
character was rachel. similar to the inherit
the wind story told by stanley kramer in his
movie. i think there was a rachel in that
one too. william jennings bryans defeat
by clarence darrow was a milestone for science
and the air force of billy mitchell who
was court-maritaled for starting another
arms race to the end of time and back. on
the theological front, many attuned their
theology to ''fit the times''. the amish
held fast to the old ways. many apache
returned to the mud huts of old, hunting
woodchuck and living on grubs and roots.
books like survival in the desert were written.
as a constant fear of nuclear war hit the
earth again and again, s.o.s.''s of all kinds
were sent into space. did anyone hear?
was anyone listening? as in the time of
christ, people beseeched the heavens even
then. were their hopes and prayers answered?
did God come down to ''check it out''? and
see what He could do? people grew weary
of waiting for the second coming. but it
had occurred already at pentecost when
the third part of the trinity came down
and became His Spirit in the world. as
he had said, it would occur before that
generation passed away.

[tnt1954]

good story ubrew. what''s brewing in the cauldron
dubble bubble? i had neighbors who visited
belize recently. i''ve always suspected them
of being cia. course they always deny it
when i confront them with it. they''ve always
been international travellers, even behind
the iron curtain, in the good old days of
peaceful co-existence. but september 11th
is coming so is september 13 th and rosh hashannah. year 5768. then yom kippur on
the 22nd, just as we move into fall. can''t remember my elementary school lessons. the
assumption of mary was on august 15th for catholics. the troubles are always with us too.
pope benedict the sixteenth, may turn back
the tables where they were. a lotta people
would go back to catholic church if he did.
and throw the lukewarm out. vatican 2? what
would you do if you were pope. as far as
pope tarry paul is concerned, all our sins
are retained. there''s no getting out of it.
looks bad for people of earth. who do they
think they''re kidding. war in heaven? lucifer
falls to earth? cast into hell-fire by christ
for the devil and his angels. metaphorically
if you wish. billy graham crackers still the
self-appointed buffoon and puppet pope of
usa. he does have a thd. in theology. giant
arenas of christians. where are the lyin lions?
read daniel 3. shadrach, meshach and abdendego.

[ubrew12]

In 1978 I went to a colony of Amish in Belize. We had to cross a river by river boat cuz there was no bridge. The Amish there, all white, showed signs of inbreeding, general lack of vigor and missing limbs. But they had a great farm community there, as they often create. They were surrounded by Spanish speakers on all sides. But they also were wonderful people. Hope they''re all doing OK in the next few days. Hope felix the cat leaves them in one piece.

[tnt1954]

jeanlafitte the pirate would be proud of y''all.
campeche was his kingdom at one time. through
smuggling gains, and various pirate activities.
he saved the usa from british reconquest.
the monroe doctrine made firm by james
monroe and marilyn monroe clearly states
there is to be no foreign interference in
the affairs of americans, from the cape of
good horn to the north pollock nudist camps.
why are there polar bears in the north, and
not in the south. i never could get a satisfactory answer to that from a polarologist.
how bi-polar. two poles. south pole, north
pole. a bi-polar planet. and so the swath
of felix and his ''people'' continues. rising
to a five? high five? where will it head?
suspense theater. here in north san diego
county, its suddenly tropical and cloudy.
we had a horrible lightning storm right
after madonna''s birthday on august 16th.
gee i wish we had a lighting rod. that lightning
was like bombs blasting upon us. rad of the cad.

[tnt1954]

right on oakishpines, you tell ''em.

[tnt1954]

thanks to the fifth chapter, sober AA biker
gang, last called the pioneers to my knowledge,
many biker gangs are now 100% clean and sober.
nice to see arrelano felix and his people
and animals working for cleanliness and sobriety
for a change. gee, i hope they don''t have
a slip. i just can''t quit smoking cigarettes,
so i quit quitting. three packs a day minimum.
banned for smoking cigarettes, tobacco cigarettes.
in the old AA at least you could smoke yourself
to death and drink coffee all the time.
will those days ever return? if you smoke
cigarettes, there is just nowhere to go.
ya have to hyde out to smoke, especially in
southern calipornia. there''s probably private
clubs but its overpriced. if not for charity
from uncle sam(sap) i''d die of cigarette
deprivation. can''t even smoke on planes,
buses, trains, almost cars. me and my idiot
friend james simon, who is kevin costner
and i started smokers anonymous in 1978.
he quit, i couldn''t. he became a great star,
i remain a mini-meteorite. of course, as
chief morning star of the apaches i protest
these *** non-smokers. just peace pipe.

[tnt1954]

try panama canaima. i know you built it
all by yourself, the panama canal. you must
be quite the fellow there canaima. a great
man of course. must know everything. you
must be one of the omniscient and omnipotent
gods of the aztecs. my, what an intellect
you must have. whoa dude. all now fear
canaima. all bow down to the almighty canaima.
when the tyrant of free speech, only canaima
is allowed to speak, all else listen, speaks
all are dumbstruck in amazement at his amazing
command of all languages everywhere. rumoured
to even know all swahili idioms. an amazing
dude, canaima. let us fear Him. King Kanaima.

[tnt1954]

mexicans are treated better in the union
of soviet america than they are in mexico.
obrador would have been a better president
than calderon. calderon stands for the plantation system, like in south america. vast estates
of monarchies, with the noble peons tilling
the land obediently. i''m not smoking anything
but tobacco. what are you smoking? bananna
peels? maybe you slipped on one? broke
your back. tough break. how sad.

[canaima]

What''cha been smokin lately, snidegrass? Or perhaps you ingested it in pill form.

Whatever, it''s definitely made you looney.

[usayesterday]

Oh man I hope this uncovers that Holloway girl.
Posted by pete_in_az at 02:26 AM : Sep 02, 2007
................


I can see the news coverage now...


...some reporter on or near the beach reporting live while the hurricane is making landfall, talking about how the winds are causing tons of debris to fly through the air. And then, all of the sudden, a blond-haired female body goes flying past the reporter, along with some other debris!

...back to you in the studio...

[swwils]

Just another way mother nature is flexing her might.We don''t run this world we exist among its fury and beauty.Wait until God really gets mad!

[oakishpines]

'' ... theres heaps of free stuff in the world, people want that free stuff, why''s all the media about the stuff that isn''t free that most folk most time don''t want cause they can''t afford it anyway ... ''

[oakishpines]

that came out all wrong in so manny ways, but trying to spit quite a mouthful into a uselessly tiny girls tea cup ... (just uselessly in that i''m fogged to imagine a use just now, but not really) ... anyways foods for thots

[oakishpines]

'' ... people came a long way in a few blinks, as if millions of years of technology occured in a few decades ... imagine what people can do in the next billion years, ... except, as if some fourteen billion year old girl peakt in to say ;duh;: folk found that they could have walked the moon hundreds of thousands of years ago without a single hand tool ... they needed but to dance get well feed world songs rallied round sick beds drifting farm trails playing drip water irrigate and drip compost fertilize and such ... feeding algae to algae and moss to moss and algae to moss and moss to algae ... ever dreaming with naturally occuring shape shifting weed dragons found in nature ... always hike n swimming and nerfbusing and bump caring and camp and napping tens millions spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail groups ... gods or fourteen billion year old girls or simple coincidences, if there are any, i don''t think would be very deliberately cruel ... if there are any ''wonder super beings'' ... i think they''d be like eternal shape shifting storyboard weed dragons swimming infinite oceans of eternal shape shifting storyboard weed dragons and traveling universes at the speed of thought ... i think they''d be so close to the big infinite perfect ''duh'' that they wouldn''t want more close, and figure we tend not to want to be more close than we claim to either ... so they just sortof give us what we ''want'' balanced against what we ''faith'' ... ''

[hawksprings]

nolalou,
I''m using sarcasm and humor, which goes completely over liberals'' heads. Liberals have no sense of humor.

My point, which went completely over your pointy head, is that secretly most of the Global Warming Sheep would love to see Henriette hit somewhere to further bolster their "case".

When the hurricane season is way below normal, like it was in 2006 and has been so far in 2007, it doesn''t reflect well on the Global Warming Consensus. It kind of hurts their case because their predictions are off.

...

[bdrlnt4rl]

no, just New Orleans.