Forum in Japan, storms and hurricanes have risen from an average of
3.5 events per year between 1920 and 1940, to 5.5 events per year
between 1944 and 1980, to 13 events per year ever since 1990.
These dramatic weather events have not been evenly dispersed.
Because storms in the eastern Atlantic need the earth’s rotation to
induce the spin factor required to form a cyclone, the further south you
are in the Caribbean’s “hurricane alley,” the less chance of a hit.
Barbados, for example, has not had a hurricane since the early 1950s.
Trinidad, closest of the islands to South America, is where many of
Antigua’s yachts have recently relocated. “That’s because,” according to
Hurst, “if you are anywhere between latitude 14 and 22, the insurance
companies will no longer provide you with affordable premiums.
Against theft and piracy on the high seas there’s insurance, yes, but not
for hurricanes.” Antigua is located at latitude 17 North, the midway
point of the Caribbean archipelago. “Even our original airline, Liat,”
Hurst adds, “is considering moving south out of harm’s way.”
The average income for an Antiguan is between $10,000 and
$12,000 (in U.S. dollars) per year, considered a decent wage in the
Caribbean. “But if it weren’t for those damned hurricanes, I think we
would be doing even better,” says Hurst. “The kind of resources we
must spend to put humpty-dumpty together again is just a tremendous
amount of money we have to borrow. Because we’ve used up whatever
resources we set aside for a rainy day.”
We are driving now to Fort James, built by the British in 1739, one
of twenty-six battle stations erected during a colonial period that lasted
until Antigua and Barbuda gained their independence in 1980. The
fort has fallen into disrepair, but from its vantage point you can see the
nearby islands of St. Kitt’s and Nevis, even Montserrat on a clear day.
This morning, a thin layer of ash had been visible on the walkway out-
side my hotel, emitted by Montserrat’s Soufriere volcano.
Hurst relates that shortly before Hurricane Luis hit in 1995, the
volcano had erupted full force. It has been continuously active ever
since. “We took in more than two-thirds of the Montserrat population,
because they had to flee,” Hurst says. “Only about 3,000 people are left
there. They live in one village essentially, on the north side of the
island. Tourism is their sole income these days.”
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