Hurricane Frances may have left Florida, but Hurricane Ivan showed
up soon after, scoring a direct hit on Grenada last week as the
most powerful storm to hit the island since Hurricane Luis in 1990.
Ivan also damaged homes in Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and
left thousands in the Grenadines without electricity or phone
service. Meanwhile, it was going to take the cruise industry a week
to recover from Frances’ after-effects, particularly for ships
departing from Port Canaveral.
Most affected cruise lines provided transportation to and from
the ships to the parking garages in Port Canaveral and to Orlando
International Airport while Port Canaveral is closed.
Damage to Grenada’s hotels and resortswas extensive, according
to some reports, although specific details were sketchy at press
time. The LaSource resort reported some damage to the roof but that
all guests and staff were safe. Tourism officials said AP reported
that damage was severe, with nine confirmed deaths and scores of
destroyed homes and properties. Phone lines were down, so it was
difficult to retrieve official information at press time.
After exiting Grenada, Ivan was on track for the south coast of
Haiti and Jamaica by the end of last week.
