You know things are not going well when having powerfully destructive hurricanes is par for the course. These storms should never be old hat, yet as we sit here watching the National Hurricane Centre modify their projections for the course of Ivan, it really does not surprise us too much anymore.
With any luck, a fortune cookie from Mother Nature or the well wishing from a deity above the course will change or, at least, the storm will weaken substantially before its arrival here. In the meantime, we wait and make plans. My plywood shutters remain installed and I have my freezer making all the ice it can produce in the next few days.
I will accept Ivan but after that, we need to call a truce with Zeus. Either that or I will soon need to change the name of this site to Atlantis: An Underwater Blog.
It is time to purchase Vodka
by David July
Archived Article (2001–2014) 
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3643142.stm
Heavy rains and high winds are pounding Jamaica - heralding what is expected to be a devastating hurricane.
Half a million Jamaicans have been told to evacuate coastal areas, to escape the worst of Hurricane Ivan.
It has already left a massive trail of damage in the Caribbean, killing at least 22 people, mostly in Grenada.
Ivan is bristling with 145mph (230km/h) winds. It is being rated as category four, on a scale of five, but is gaining strength as it nears Jamaica.
"We have to prepare for the worst case scenario. Let us pray for God's care," said Prime Minister PJ Patterson.
At 1500 GMT the hurricane - dubbed Ivan the Terrible by Jamaicans - was 155 miles (245km) south-east of Kingston, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Moving at a speed of about 12mph (19km/h), it was due to approach Jamaica on Friday evening or Saturday morning, it said. The Cayman Islands are also in its path.
"Ivan could become even stronger as it nears Jamaica", it warned, adding that heavy rains could cause "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides".
Hospitals are on full alert and all schools, shops and airports have closed.
Residents have been preparing for the worst.
"This one looks like a killer. If it follows the same path, a lot of us will die," said Kingston resident Jefferson James.
The BBC's correspondent in Jamaica, Declan Lawn, says a lot of the country's housing is very basic, consisting of wooden shacks and lean-tos.
The government has urged everyone to go to concrete shelters - though many have chosen to stay at home, at least until the hurricane arrives.
There have been long queues at supermarkets with people stocking up on water, fuel, torches and batteries.
The authorities have made it clear that they will use the police and army to deal with looting and civil disorder.
Tourists have been leaving the islands in droves - British operators have arranged for 2,600 holidaymakers to be airlifted to the Dominican Republic.
Correspondents say this threatens to be the worst natural disaster to hit the island for 50 years.
Besides Jamaica, Cuba and parts of Haiti face hurricane warnings, and the south-eastern United States is also under threat.
Residents and tourists in Florida Keys are being evacuated once again, after two major hurricanes in the last month.
So far the place hardest hit by Hurricane Ivan has been the tiny island of Grenada.
The first deliveries of aid supplies from abroad have arrived, but the International Red Cross said about 60,000 of Grenada's 95,000 inhabitants are homeless, as it launched an emergency appeal for donations.
Grenada's Prime Minister, Keith Mitchell, whose official residence was destroyed, told the BBC the island was "90% devastated" and that he had declared a national disaster.