I should have known better. As soon as it had cleared Jamaica, Gustav roared to life and has now become a strong Category 4, just about to make landfall in Cuba with wind gusts of 160 kts, or 288 km/h! Cubans are going to suffer dearly through that one, and then there’s Louisiana. Some things never change.

First erratic reports from Little Cayman are much worse than I’d hoped. It seems the dive boats broke their storm moorings and ended up on the beach, all docks have been washed away, there’s serious structural damage, power probably down. I don’t know what to say. Except that this is a good part of why I left.

My heart is with you all, down there.

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Here is the data: storm track, visible satellite, infrared satellite and advisory. Notice the incredibly well shaped eye.