CAYMAN PREPARES FOR ANOTHER INTENSE HURRICANE SEASON

With another above-average hurricane season just a matter of weeks away, the public is being encouraged to make early preparations including having a plan, and monitoring official sources for updates.

The hurricane season starts on June 1st and Director of Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) Danielle Coleman is sending an early warning to residents of the Cayman Islands.

“Now is the time to stock up on emergency supplies and items for securing your home, make a plan for your family or business, and stay tuned to radio and local television for the latest official notices from Hazard Management and the National Weather Service.”

The pre-seasonal forecasts from the Colorado State University (CSU) hint at about 19 named tropical systems, with 9 hurricanes and also 4 major hurricanes forecast for this year.

That’s well above the 30-year average. On the long-term average, a hurricane season normally brings 14 named storms, seven hurricanes where three of them become of major intensity.

According to the CSU hurricane experts, this will be the 7th straight year of having busier-than-normal tropical cyclone activity for the Atlantic Basin and the Caribbean region.

Cayman Islands Weather Service Director John Tibbetts acknowledged the models forecasting severe weather but advised the public to continue monitoring official sources for more accurate forecasts in the coming days.

“It’s important to continue to monitor the National Weather Service, and verify updates shared on social media against official sources,” he said. “A lot can happen in a week.”

Hon. Premier and Minister of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency, Wayne Panton, said global climate change increases the need for the Cayman Islands community to be prepared for severe weather events.

“More frequent and intense storms are one impact of increased global temperatures that isparticularly relevant to our country,” Mr Panton said. “Being prepared is one of the most important things we can do as individuals, as families, businesses and communities to minimise the impacts of severe weather events.”

The Premier who has placed climate change and sustainability for Cayman among his top concerns added: “More frequent and intense storms are one impact of increased global temperatures that isparticularly relevant to our country. Being prepared is one of the most important things we can do as individuals, as families, businesses and communities to minimise the impacts of severe weather events.”

Meanwhile, the Cayman Islands Weather Service is continuing work to complete repairs to the Doppler radar, which have been hampered by supply chain issues. While one part necessary to fix the back-up generator has arrived on-island and is expected to be installed later this month, the Weather Service continues to wait on an additional part for the weather radar.

“Earlier in the year, we were hopeful the part would arrive well ahead of the 2022 hurricane season but the order is still in progress and an updated arrival date has not been provided. We continue to follow up with the radar manufacturer on the status of our order and are making every effort to get the radar up and running as soon as possible,” Director John Tibbetts explained.

“In the meantime, our team continues to deliver accurate, timely forecasts, advisories and warnings to the public using the other tools and services at our disposal,” he added.