Local couple’s trip to Cuba cut short by pending hurricane
When Hatters Kara and Jared Brake planned their fifth wedding anniversary trip to Cuba, they didn’t expect to find themselves in the midst of a massive hurricane.
The couple and three friends who accompanied them were forced to cut their trip short after five days due to Hurricane Irma wreaking havoc on the Caribbean.
Kara Brake said they realized about two days before they left on Sept. 2 that their trip may coincide with the hurricane.
“At that point there were two potential paths. We were hoping it would take the path back into the ocean,” she said on Wednesday.
“We were checking the path daily,” Brake added. “We knew a couple days ago that it wasn’t good.”
She said the Pullman Cayo Coco resort they were staying at spoke to all the visitors about hurricane protocol.
“It’s starting to get a little windy but everyone is calm and still enjoying their vacation,” said Brake.
Her mother got in touch with WestJet, the airline on which they arrived, to arrange for a plane to pick them up today at noon in Cuba, which is slated to leave at 2:10 p.m.
“Anyone with WestJet in Cayo Coco flies out then, whether they just got here or were leaving soon,” Brake said.
Later on Wednesday, she said the rumblings of the hurricane were becoming increasingly apparent.
“The wind is getting stronger. The waves are getting bigger,” said Brake.
As a result, the resort began to take precautionary measures.
“The hotel has started planning by boarding windows, bringing up water toys, putting down the cabanas and putting down canopies,” she said.
Brake said they arranged what was supposed to be a week-long celebratory trip last year.
“We liked Cuba because of the white sand beaches and we have never been here before,” she said. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”