Prepare for Hurricane Irma this week!

This post is also available in: Spanish

Hurricane Irma will begin in the Leeward Islands and over the next few days make its way to the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Currently a category 3 hurricane, reports indicate it may increase to a category 4 by tomorrow. Maximum sustained winds have reached 115mph, but could be as much as 140mph by Wednesday. Its direct path remains unclear, but residents along the Lesser Antilles/ Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and the U.S. are urged to monitor the exceptionally strong hurricane’s path. On Tuesday, we will know more its intended route and by Wednesday night and Thursday morning it will have arrived to our coast.

Hurricane Irma is the ninth named storm this year and comes just days after the devastating effects of Harvey which hit Texas with unrelenting, torrent rains. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the Dominican Republic’s northeast, southeast, and central mountain range will most affect the provinces of San Cristóbal, Sánchez Ramírez, María Trinidad Sánchez, San José de Ocoa, La Vega, Monseñor Nouel, Azua, San Juan, Elías Piña, Dajabón, Santiago Rodriguez, Samaná, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, Monte Plata, La Altagracia and Santo Domingo, according to ONAMET, the country’s national weather meteorologist. 

See below some tips to prepare your Casa de Campo villa, and stay tuned as we bring you updates this week on Hurricane Irma.

HURRICANE IRMA

As of 5:00 AM EDT Sun Sept 3: 
Location: 18.0°N 47.5°W
Moving: WSW at 15 mph
Min pressure: 969 mb
Max sustained: 115 mph

Information from the National Hurricane Center.

GET READY NOW: HURRICANE / STORM PREPARDNESS TIPS!

A few things you should do/get ready now (just in case)…..

1. Prune your garden 
It is always safe and a good idea to trim branches from any trees (especially palm trees) near your Casa de Campo villa. Making sure any “dead” or precarious branches are cut down will prevent them blowing off in high winds and causing damage.

2 – Keep informed!
Its important to keep up to date with news concerning the weather forecast! Whilst we at Casa de Campo Living will do our best to keep you informed, we recommend the following for keeping extra-informed:

• www.nhc.noaa.gov – The National Hurricane Centre
• www.weather.com – The Weather Channel
• ONAMET.gov.do – the Dominican Republic’s official weather warning people (this one is in Spanish)
• Twitter: We recommend following NHC_Atlantic – for regular tweets on hurricanes, tropical storms etc
• Facebook: Follow – http://www.facebook.com/US.NOAA.NationalHurricaneCenter.gov

3 – Towels etc for flooding
With so much rain even the nicest, newest Casa de Campo villa is at risk of flooding/leaks – so it’s a good idea to make sure you have a supply of old towels to lay around leaking windows/doors and around any “indoor” gardens/landscaping your home may have.

4 –  Prepare a “hurricane kit”
You never know how long a storm/hurricane will take to go away. A good idea is to go to a nearby supermarket and buy some food for at least 3 days (canned food, bottled water, cokes, juices, crackers), as well as medicines normally included in a first aid kit (bandages, cotton, iodine, pain killers, alcohol, batteries, lanterns, candles, matches etc). If a hurricane is coming you don’t want to get to the supermarket and found that they’ve sold out of water!
Click here for a full list of everything you will need.

5. Stock up on strong electrical tape
If a storm is coming it is typical to protect windows/patio doors by putting tape in a “x” across the glass – so it’s a good idea to have some in your house!

6. Where will you go? What will you do?
If a hurricane is coming – you may need somewhere to wait out the storm. It’s a good idea to choose in advance which room will be your “safe room” – select an interior room with no windows, usually a bathroom.

7. If you are NOT at your Casa de Campo villa for hurricane season – make sure in advance that you home is safe.
If you have a villa manager – make sure they know how to prepare your villa for a hurricane or if you don’t it would be a good idea to prepare in advance by bringing all outdoor furniture indoors (including hanging light fixtures), closing shutters/boarding up if you feel it is necessary.