Our plan was to vote absentee and get the hell out of the country around election time - something we've been planning since Spring.
It looks like our little corner of paradise fared badly against Hurricane Ivan. There are two parts of Negril (on the western tip of the island) - the 7-mile beach and the cliffs (known as "the West End"). The West End, where we stay, got hammered by waves as high as two stories. The lighthouse which sits on a tall cliff was said to have been hit with nearly 60-foot crests. The beach fared much better with more modern buildings and the beach itself taking the power out of the waves.
Still no word from anyone in our area, but other reports are saying just about all the trees and vegetation have been uprooted along the West End and there's extraordinary structural damage.
Negril itself has outages even on its best days, being so isolated. Ivan has made it nearly impossible to get detailed information.
So we may be watching election night in our house instead of in the warm embrace of Negril. If where we stay is still intact and we do end up going, it'll likely be one of those Peace Corps style vacations. It's about time I did something constructive anyway...
