Irma Was Here: Surviving the Eye of History's Strongest Atlantic Hurricane

by Diandra Jones

This is the true story of Diandra and Adam who, barely three months after their wedding, awake in their home on Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to startling news. In less than 24 hours, Hurricane Irma has escalated from a Category 2 to a Category 5 Hurricane and will soon make a direct hit on their island paradise, leaving it unrecognizable and in desperate need of help. With airports closed and time running out, they board up their home and prepare for what no one has predicted: a passage through the eye of the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever to strike land in the Caribbean. Just as the bricks and mortar of their home will be put to the test, so will their love and personal strength, the integrity of their community, the resilience of Mother Nature and the human spirit.

"Irma Was Here" unveils the personal side of climate change. A bellwether of super storms of the future due to global warming, Irma broke several world records. She was the longest lasting Category 5 hurricane and also the strongest recorded open Atlantic hurricane. Followed closely by Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane only two weeks later, Irma prompted climate scientists to suggest higher categories be added to the Saffir-Simpson Scale, due to her ferocious winds in excess of 178 mph, second only to the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. For the people of the Virgin Islands, whose homes she destroyed and whose lives she catapulted into chaos, Irma has left an indelible psychological scar. For the world, she leaves a warning.

Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

Diandra Jones is a writer, interdisciplinary artist, dancer and choreographer who has spent most of her adult life traveling, teaching and studying places geographically and culturally foreign to her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. After retiring from a career as a professional Irish Step dancer, Diandra taught English and Dance in Chicago Public Schools before residing for ten years in Ghana, West Africa, then the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. She currently lives with her husband in Honolulu, Hawaii. Much of her life work, whether in teaching, performance or in writing, has sought to bridge gaps in intercultural understanding to engender in her fellow humans compassion for one another and for their environment. She is a Cum Laude Honors graduate of Loyola University with a B.A. in English Literature, and holds an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College Chicago.

Reviews

[Jennifer Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another feat of visceral artistry by Diandra Jones

Couldn’t. Put. It. Down.
As a resident of Tortola, we know Diandra personally as an artist, friend and teacher. A woman who’s face is always smiling and speaking words pumping you full of encouragement. And yes, a chronic hitchhiker picker upper.
This book took a hold of me and didn’t let me go. As I know the landscape and many of the people mentioned in the book I can truly say Diandra has captured the visual and the guts of her subjects. I laughed. I sobbed. I rejoiced and I despaired... a couple of times all at once. She is an advocate for all those know her and now directing her attention towards climate change and the human condition through Irma Was Here with her always present authenticity and power.
A “MUST” read.

[Miss D P Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt, beautifully written book

This book cannot have been easy to write. To have your life ripped out from under you in a matter of hours is not something many of us have to go through. Thank god. But it’s clear that her relationship with her husband is built on a strong foundation that no hurricane could ever blow away, and wherever life takes them now, they will roll with any punches easily. I enjoyed this book. Buy it!

[U · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheers to my first read of 2025!🤸🏾‍♀️ 

My picking up this book was heavily influenced by experiencing 2017's Hurricane Maria, in Dominica. The strongest hurricane to ever hit us as a direct Cat 5. Yet, I grappled with how "forgotten" it felt, almost as if it never  happened. Among Dominicans, probably due to trauma and among outsiders, probably due to how insignificant the island is on a grand scale. When you hear of Maria, folks understandably speak of Puerto Rico. Granted, in these years past, I hardly heard of Irma either. 

So, when I saw this book sitting on the "New Arrivals" shelf at the library, I instantly grabbed it. I never expected a book on a Caribbean hurricane and was curious to read a first-hand experience, as well as compare it to my own with Maria. 

It was a deeply engaging story, that had me from start to end. Diandra captured the imagery so well, that I bet I'd see it just as clearly even without my own reference to similar sights. Plus the actual images at the end was a great addition. 

I'm happy this telling exists. Although, it's surprising that it ended so soon. I assumed there would be a deeper dive into maybe survivor's / escapee's  guilt or an update of what happened to Tortola in those weeks they couch surfed. But it was still a great story. I've only been to Tortola once (pre-Irma) and hope to see how far it's come from that battle one day. 

(Now I feel awkward for yapping, lol)
How I find this book: Roseau Library

[Codisha Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read, Romance,

Excellent read! A bit of adventure romance and drama..I experience everything as if I was there and felt drawn to the characters.

[JO ANN Stange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Wow you could of not gotten it out there better than with this very scary book everyone should read it,live your life love your neighbors and support those in need!

[Nolabeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Survival

A first hand account of surviving Hurricane Irma. How the people living in Cane Garden Bay on Tortola, pulled together after the island was destroyed