Oh, Noel

Tropical Storm Noel took everyone by surprise this week, including me. It's a good lesson for Caribbean travelers: hurricanes get the headlines, but even their weaker (and more numerous) siblings can bring widespread devastation when they hit land head-on.

Noel caused major flooding in the Dominican Republic and Haiti this week, and at least 20 deaths. This, despite having maximim sustained winds of only about 60 mph ... the problem is the storm is moving very slowly and dumping lots of rain. Plus, deforestation has left Haiti, in particular, very vulnerable to flooding.

The storm is now forecast to be heading toward the Bahamas, where tropical storm watches have already been posted. I'll keep you posted as the storm progresses, or you can track it at the National Hurricane Center website.