......her name was Irma

Yogis,

She went by the name Irma and she was mighty. As the strongest landfalling hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin she swept through the Virgin Islands with her 185 mph sustained winds and gusts upward of 220mph. On September 6, 2017 Irma flexed her muscles and showed just how powerful nature can be. Life became marked by ‘before’ and ‘after’.

The British Virgin Islands (BVIs) captured my heart back in the early 90s and I return every couple of years to soak in their sun, float in the waters and set my rhythm to island time. Last week was my first trip back since Irma paid her visit. Almost a year and a half later her name is still on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

I was hesitant at first to ask the locals about her as I didn’t want to open wounds, but quickly saw that they want to share their stories. To let us know how life changing that day was to each of them individually, to their community and to life as they knew it. Each story unique yet similar. 

First a concern for property. Standing in hallways straining to hold the bulging walls from caving in or leaning body weight on doors to keep them from flying off their hinges, until that instant when it became clear she couldn’t be contained and all that mattered was living through her stay. Running to inner rooms, jumping into bathtubs or tying themselves to steel beams, often losing tracks of others in the chaos, and waiting in terror for the next five hours.

This was only the beginning. Once Irma packed up and moved on the island was left with no running water, no working toilets, and no electricity…….for months. All personal generators and fuel confiscated by the government. Curfews and night noises. Not one leaf on the trees. Here if our internet or power is down for even a few hours we demand answers. We feel inconvenienced by no A/C in the short time we wait for the repair man. My life’s complaints felt trivial.

Yet I heard no bitterness. Instead the word that kept coming to me was resilience. I heard not once but several times that the island isn’t now better or worse….simply different. Some faring better then others where they could rebuild even a little bigger and stronger, but others still living in tents along the road. Buildings with fresh coats of paint across the street from boats lying face down in the brush. Yet all with an energy of moving forward.

In some cases, a sense that perhaps some needed changes had been forced.  Irma had transformed their home and it was now their responsibility to make a life in it.

Standing next to a concrete slab which used to house the jeep rental company, paperwork was handled under a tree with a tarp instead. The sun shone down on us all. 

Misha, a young woman from Tortola who I had become friends with when she was only a teenager came over one gorgeous morning so we could do yoga together.  On the patio overlooking the turquoise sea and serenaded by the roosters we breathed and took time to notice. The breeze, warmth, connections, friendships, life.

Everywhere we went we were thanked. Waiters, taxi drivers, shop owners all expressing gratitude that we had returned and were supporting their economy. And as I was leaving a brief summer storm painted a rainbow across the sky…….reminding me that I loved this place and the people’s spirit both ‘before’ and ‘after’.  Not better or worse. Simply different.

I will be back,
SARAH