Lenny Gives Caribbean a New Year’s Hangover

They’re calling him “Wrong Way Lenny,” “Lefty” and “Anti-man”--a Category 4 hurricane last month that defied tradition and forecast by approaching the idyllic Eastern Caribbean isles from the west, packing 140-mph winds and staying far longer than anyone wanted.

The storm has left a legacy of destruction that will affect Caribbean tourism into next year. Its 20-foot-high waves caused such severe flooding and structural damage that some of the region’s best-known high-end resorts expect to remain shuttered for weeks to come, including during the lucrative holidays. Among Lenny’s better-known victims: the Four Seasons on Nevis, Cap Juluca on Anguilla and La Samanna on French St. Martin. None is expected to reopen until well after the New Year.

The storm left 13 dead, and many in the region say it delivered the worst blow to tourism in recent memory. A spokesperson for the Caribbean Tourism Organization took an upbeat tack: “I can name you 20 or 25 hotels throughout the Caribbean that are as good if not better than those forced to close [and] that weren’t affected at all.”

But he conceded that the impact of the storm “was very widespread.” And for anyone planning a millennium bash anywhere from St. Croix south to Aruba, tourism officials advise you to check with your resort destination to see how it fared. A Web site, https://www.gobeach.com, provides status reports on Lenny’s aftermath.