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So Florence has come and gone. Gordon zipped past us like a motorcycle at rush hour. And as I write this Helene is skulking about to the southeast.

After a slow start, this hurricane season has perked up quite a bit. But with only three storms since 1995 we're not doing too badly. Although, have you noticed that in the eight years the PLP has been in power we have had two direct hits. I think the UBP did a much better job with the weather.

Sure, barely a month goes by between June and November when there isn't at least a depression in the area (and I don't mean David Burch), but to get a direct hit on a 20 square mile dot in the middle of the North Atlantic, pretty much everything has to go wrong.

But if you have to do it, Bermuda is undoubtedly the best place in the world to experience a hurricane. As long as you respect them, the worst part about hurricanes in Bermuda is generally the boredom - hence our invention of the "Hurricane Party". Other places evacuate - we invite people over.

After every hurricane the demands resurface for BELCO to put more cables underground and they say no because it will take ten years and cost $300 million.

Well if they'd started right after Hurricane Emily the job would have been finished ten years ago.

And since BELCO is no doubt much better at budgeting than the PLP, the project wouldn't be subject to any "Berkeleyesque" overruns, so I'm sure financing could be arranged.

But until they do something the power will continue to go out.

At least this time my wife was with me so I had some conversation.

I spent Fabian alone in the house with two dogs, hoping their bladders would hold out.

And invariably I am reminded of my pre-air conditioning youth, as I lie sweating in the dark listening to the ballgame from New York on my little radio.

Marooned in Manhattan

Speaking of New York, I see the Premier was off the Island for Florence, and that's fine, but his story about how he got "stranded" in the Big Apple has more holes in it than Sonny Corleone.

If it has any truth to it at all he's more out of touch with reality than I thought. And after his promise to put trees in the new hospital I thought he was pretty far out there.

He left Bermuda on Thursday, yet claims that he only found out about the impending storm when he got to New York.

Since Hurricane Emily caught us by surprise in 1987 we get a warning every time the Cape Verde Islands have a windy day!

My hurricane preparations were well under way on Wednesday and on Thursday I cancelled my own holiday plans so I would be able to look after my home. The entire Island is stocking up on batteries and bottled water but the Premier has heard nothing?

Then he claims that when he tried to get back on Saturday he couldn't get a flight.

Well, if he knew about the storm on Thursday, and really wanted to get back, why did he wait until Saturday to call the airlines?

It's not that I blame P for skipping out.

If I had three homes and a small army of Public Works staff to maintain them, I'd have gone on my holiday too. After all there's no better place to ride out a Bermuda hurricane than in a hotel suite in Manhattan.

And it's not like we needed him here. Bermudians have been surviving hurricanes for centuries - we certainly don't need "inspirational" speeches from politicians.

Emergency Services know what they're doing, they've all done it before and once again I think they did a great job. Bermuda was back in business the next day.

So by all means Mr. Scott - go to New York during the hurricane. Just don't try to tell me you got surprised.[[In-content Ad]]

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