My first VI charter vacation was late April of 1990. Hurricane Hugo had chewed a murderous path through the VI's and right up the east coast of the US in September, previous. I know I'll never forget St. Thomas in that April, so tattered and broken: the telephone and electric service wires were strung up on forked branches barely head high, and the entirety of Charlotte Amalie residential neighborhoods were roofed over with blue tarps.

The entire week of the charter, I didn't see a tree or a bush that wasn't completely defoliated, between STT and North Sound VG, up the SFD channel and back down the north side. There were some brave Century Plants blooming in sulfur yellow on decimated hillsides, and some Flamboyants throwing fiery orange blossoms as if to spite their nakedness, but that was the extent of tropical vegetation. I knew it wasn't normal, but I had not ever seen " normal". It would be another couple years before I saw the full throated tropical beauty healing the scars.

Point being, there is no point in arguing the strength of a storm when the destruction in any one place is as total as can be inflicted. Heck, I live in far western Maine, maybe 8 miles from the NH border, and up here there is still trail, bridge, and road rehab happening in the National Forest and around the Appalachian Trail from Irene, August 2011, never more than a Cat 3 and not more than a TS by the time it got here. There was massive de-forestation, vicious flash flooding driving whole trees as battering rams, and the State of VT was nearly wiped off the map as far as roads in, out, around or about. Stories are legion about farmers, both alone and in loose bands of tractor mounted first responders, saving the National Guard and USACE weeks of work by restoring dirt and gravel ways for ( wet tire) vehicle passage and facilitating the movement of people and goods.

We are stronger together.