2024 Tropical Weather Thread

We made it off the island yesterday evening. I met with the Prime Minister of Grenada as well as the country’s entire emergency response team and a few major NGO’s responding to give them a total assessment of the island. It was quite weird to get a random call on whatsapp at 10pm from the secretary of a country’s leader that immediately brings him into the call. I was the only person that he was able to contact on the island. No phones, no internet, no radio in a country that had not made starlink legal yet.

They were incredibly appreciative of our work and took our assessments and advice seriously. It meant a lot, were able to make a huge difference for a lot of people directly impacted as well as for those who had loved ones impacted.

The island will never be the same. Recovery will take decades. I’m guessing at some point they will have to completely evacuate the island, rebuild infrastructure and then begin rebuilding before repopulating. The people and community really is special there.

I felt guilty leaving and was not planning on it but the starlink went into “restricted” mode due to hitting our data limit. It would not let me add data without being connected to another internet source so effectively it turned into a brick. When we were offered a plane ride back with the PM after that it was a no brainer.

We were literally welcomed into the airport like rock stars. Everyone in Grenada knows who we are and they are all running up to thank us and take selfies. As much as I hate the whole idea of that, it was pretty cool for all the right reasons.

We are flying back to the US today. Will have to go to NYC then turn around and fly direct to Cancun. Unfortunately even a close scrape with Jamaica is going to be catastrophic. After that, we can focus on the behind the scenes video of our experience. It is going to be epic.

I am assisting with numerous NGO’s still to get aid to pockets of the island that need it most, got 10 starlink terminals donated directly from SpaceX as well as lithium generators with solar panels to run each one. Met many life long friends on the island that JP and I will have an amazing bond with. So much good came from so much bad.