Hurrican Earl brushes St. John

While St. John is an old pro to hurricanes, this was the first major exposure for Drift Away and the Greenleaf Commons Building- they did fabulous!
Everyone on island locked things up tight Sunday no knowing what to expect in the next 12 hours. Earl was expected to pass us around 8am Monday, so we expected that winds might be crazy in the early hours of morning. When I left the spa Sunday, I pulled some rugs off the floors near the doors but had to keep my fingers crossed about all else. This was a new experience to the building and it had not shown us its weak points yet.
Monday morning opened up gloriously. Winds and seas were high and boats were already starting to show up onshore, but it wasnt until Monday night that things really started to get spicy. Many residents lost power Sunday night, and I think I can safely say that ALL residents were thinking Monday night "How much longer is this going to last?" Wind gusts were recorded on STT at close to 70mph. When Earl passed us it was 300 miles wide, the wind just kept coming hour after hour all night long.
Anyone who could sleep awakened on Tuesday to the sounds of chainsaws and generators. It is a beautiful thing to see neighbors pulling together to clear roads and offer assistance where needed. Our little island was fortunate for the most part, tree damage was what most people had to report.
And as for Drift Away- after the curfew ended my husband, son and I drove down with baited breath to see if the roof remained intact- there were about 5 leaves that had managed to sneak in. NO OTHER DAMAGE AT ALL!! Another day to give thanks for our many blessings.