Exactly five years ago tonight, we encountered Hurricane Juan.

With sustained winds of 160km/hour (with gusts of 180km/hour), it ripped up trees, took out the power and phones for anywhere from 5 days to two weeks, damaged houses and property, and it scared the Dickens out of us.

Two people died in that storm. And three more died in house fires days later. Candles.

Now, as if by some sick co-incidence, we are awaiting the arrival of another hurricane tonight. It is of the same magnitude (Category 1) and is predicted to strike at the same time Juan struck, around midnight on Sunday night. This one is Hurricane Kyle.

Predictions say it will hit slightly southwest of here which means it may not be as bad locally. But we are expecting power lines to come down for who knows how long.

Here in GT land we have a gas stove and a generator. That will take care of the cooking and the freezer but probably not the computer. So if you don’t see me for a few days, you’ll know why.