from a friend, sent several hours ago i didn't post pending permission

Just got back to the island a few hours ago from Flores, Guatemala with the Tropic Air folk.

The island itself looks just about normal. Certainly on the south part all I see is the odd downed tree branch, some leaf debris, that sort of thing. We definitely dodged a huge bullet. I think as you get further north, maybe about 10 miles north of the bridge, I'm sure damage will be rather worse, but not as serious as it could have been.

Just to give you an idea of how little damage there has been, the low lying DFC area, those little houses you see on your approach to the San Pedro airstrip, are all OK!

Electricity is down on the island but there is optimism that it'll be up again very soon, a day or two is what I keep hearing. Water is back on. Phones, mixed, some are up, some are down. Overall, a very, very, VERY good situation considering how bad it could have been. For the folk in Corozal, Chetumal, Mahajual and Bacalar (those last 3 towns are in Mexico) things have been much harder. They took a bad hit.