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Lenny Brushes Bonaire
While Bonaire has long been considered outside the so-called "Hurricane Belt", Bonaire is still prone to odd weather, and
the brush we are presently having with the fringes of Hurricane Lenny certainly qualifies as odd weather, to say the least. According to the Weather Channel there have only been three hurricanes ever in the
Caribbean with an easterly trajectory, and Lenny is one of those.
While the closest Lenny got to Bonaire was about 150 miles, it was enough for Bonaire to feel his impact. In fact, it could be said that Bonaire received advanced notice of Lenny's arrival, in the form of major wave
action on the normally calm western side of the island. The wave action started in the morning hours just after dawn, and continued increasing in intensity the rest of the day, with large waves still pounding the
coast even now (at 8pm AST). We personally witnessed waves in excess of 10 feet, and had reports of even larger ones. An interesting observation is that the waves only formed when shallow water was reached, which
means that the waves were likely caused by deeper water movements forced upward when they hit the sloping contours of Bonaire's aquatic topography (i.e. the reef).
The most heavily affected sections of the island were and are Belnem (the southernmost inhabited coastal region) and Hato (the area where many of the resorts are and a number of private residences, including ours).
Oddly enough, nary a drop of rain has fallen on the island, and winds, while coming from the "wrong" direction (anything but from the east), have only been moderately strong. In fact, we had sunny skies
for most of the day, and people who lived and worked inland had no idea that there even was serious wave action.
As such, all damage from the storm is isolated to only waterfront properties. Here in the Hato area for example, all the beaches that were part of private homes are now covered in 2-3 feet of limestone rubble
(limestone is what coral turns into), and no sea-level structures have been left untouched. Many homes with sea level apartments or rooms have suffered at least minor flooding. Virtually all the piers in the Hato
area have suffered significant damage, including those at all dive operations, with at best the wooden planking ripped off, and at worst the whole piers ripped apart. However, until the waves subside (expected to
happen by morning as Lenny continues to move northeast), it's difficult to judge how extensive the damage is, and how long it will take to repair. It's expected that BONHATA and or CURO will release an official
statement tomorrow (which we will broadcast) on this matter.
With the exception of a dive boat owned by Black Durgon, and which was out of use for a while and is now a lawn ornament in someone's aquatic backyard, no dive operation dive boats were lost to the waves, with all
dive operators having secured their vessels in the Harbour Village Marina. The Marina, while suffering from some surge, has so far proven to be a good shelter for many of the island's vessels. However, higher water
levels and mild surge have caused some water and debris to wash across the road in front of the marina into the salina on the other side, and tonight the road is closed to all but local traffic.
The Playa area of Bonaire has suffered very little damage up til now (at 4pm Karel's beach bar was missing a number of planks, and passers by were getting wet from the sea spray hitting the new seawall). However, as
part of his concern for the safety of people on the island, Lt. Governor Richard Hart issued orders that the piers of Bonaire be closed to all persons, just to avoid potential problems with surge.
The worst water damage caused by the waves is in the Belnem area, where we witnessed spray in excess of 50 feet high resulting from waves crashing into the shore. In fact, this spray repeatedly was carried over the
roofs of homes, onto E.E.G. Boulevard. At present, Lt. Gov. Hart has ordered the mandatory evacuation of all oceanfront homes in Belnem, with those not having another place to go being welcome at the Red Cross
shelter near the airport. (He has also asked for voluntary evacuation in Hato, with people urged to go to the Papa Cornes school in north Antriol).
In Belnem, we helped evacuate some friends from the Lighthouse Beach Resort, where water levels in the courtyard/parking area had already reached (this is a low point of the property, we should note) almost two feet
(60 cm), and noticed water coming out from under the door of one oceanfront unit. In the adjacent Punt Vierkant area, the most water damage appeared to be taking place, with water from waves pouring through several
homes. Further north in Belnem such sights were not seen, although we have been told that the ocean side of most homes have been receiving a serious battering, as well as lots of salt water spray.
South of Belnem, where many of Bonaire's popular shore dive sites reside, was an amazing scene. Those familiar with the area know that there is a stretch of bare land, more or less at sea level, with a small rise at
the water's edge there. Today that whole area was filled with water. "The Lake", one popular location, in fact looked like a lake today. And south of the Angel City dive site, the wave action caused rubble
to wash over the road to the point that it was not passable.
We've received a large number of inquiries about specific people and places, and while we can't address every one of them at this time, please be advised that as of yet, no there have been no reports of any
casualties or serious injuries (although there have been some scrapes resulting from waterborne debris - and there is an amazing amount of such debris at present, due to the wave damage to the waterfront).
One question we've received from several of our readers pertains to what the impact is of these waves on the reefs of Bonaire? The answer at present is that we don't know yet. Certainly there's a lot of sediment that
has washed out over the shallow areas, and in Hato, we've seen quite a bit of damage to the really shallow corals (i.e. 10 ft./3 meter deep water), such as elkhorn coral stands which have become part of the rubble
on our beach. But, until such time as the surge subsides back to normal levels, we won't be able to gauge what damage there is. We will state that nature has a way of taking care of itself, and this is hardly the
first time that Bonaire's west coast has been battered by a large wave system - that's something that has happened several times this century, and had undoubtedly happened countless times before. The only difference
is that there are more oceanfront properties here than before, meaning that more people are affected by the latest wave damage.
We'll have more information (and pictures) on this nasty wave system and its aftermath in the next day or so. In the meanwhile, take heart that the latest satellite maps indicate that Lenny's fringe seems to be
continuing to move up and away from Bonaire. For those with plans to come and visit Bonaire in the next few days, there should be no problems if you're staying at an in-land property, and you should be okay if
you're staying at a large resort. We'll be soliciting statements from BONHATA and CURO, as well as individual properties, and will send them out in our next Bonaire E-Newsflash. (For family coming to visit us -
everything's okay here so far, but our beach isn't quite what it used to be -) ).
In terms of what this does to the anticipated visit by Holland's Queen Beatrix to Bonaire tomorrow, it's not clear. We'll keep you posted.
Brasa Dey Celebration
On Sunday, November 28th, in the Wilhelmina Park, the Bonairean Suriname community will be celebrating Brasa Dey, a day of
cultural celebration. The event is organized by Mietie Makandra ("meet each other"), a Surinamese socio-cultural foundation here on Bonaire. Featured at the event will be a variety of shows, including a
group of six Arawak-speaking Amerindians from Suriname performing with dance and music, and a Javanese fire dance after sunset. Also featured will be a wide variety of Suriname foods. This is an all day event, and
all are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Mietie Makandra at 5166 or by e-mail at mailtoanber@bonairelive.com
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