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23
September '98
Hurricane Georges is pounding the Caribbean. He's battered Antigua, Montserrat,
St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Eustatius, Saba and the Virgin Islands with 130mph
(210kph) winds, and killed at least six people on Puerto Rico and three
in the Leewards. In the Dominican Republic, he's tossed telephone poles
and tin roofs all over the eastern end of the island. Georges' eye passed
just north of Santo Domingo and was expected to hit Haiti later in the
day.
Travellers should be aware that electricity and phone services on these
islands are unreliable at best, medical facilities are overburdened and
drinking water is scarce and likely to be contaminated. Landslides and
flooding are constant dangers, and transportation may be difficult or
impossible to obtain.
The Dominican Republic, Haiti, eastern Cuba, the Turks & Caicos and
the southern and central Bahamas are all subject to hurricane warnings.
Georges is headed straight for Miami. Tourists have been evacuated from
the Florida Keys, and the southeastern coast of Florida is bracing for
the worst.
5
August '98
Dengue fever is on the rise and the worst is yet to come, warns the Centers
for Disease Control. The most recent epidemic in 1994 left 9000 people
hospitalized and infected 25,000 overall. Dengue is transferred via mosquitoes
which bite during daylight hours. There is no vaccine or treatment for
the illness, which can be fatal to children, so prevention is the key.
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