Mom and Dad, update 1

As of this morning my parents were doing okay but were beginning to get a little worried. Hurricane Dean is a strong Category 4 hurricane (current sustained wind speeds are 150 mph with higher gusts) and it could be on its way to a Category 5. It's really not looking pretty.

At this point they are likely beginning to experience the tropical storm force winds and later tonight will begin to feel the hurricane force winds. Tomorrow morning they will face the brunt of the storm. This thing is huge.

As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is lacking many of the basics we take for granted here in the US. Infrastructure (water, electricty, transportation) will be spoty at best (if available at all). In all likelihood, we probably won't hear from them for several days after the storm hits. The last major storm to hit Haiti saw huge amounts of rain with widespread mudslides and massive numbers of casualties. We're praying my parents will make it through this one okay.

We'll keep you updated. Thanks for checking in!