Home affairs minister urges hurricane preparedness
(CNS): If Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, remains on its projected path, it is not a direct threat for the Cayman Islands, according to the Cayman Islands National Weather Service. Home Affairs Minister Tara Rivers is nevertheless urging all residents of these islands to make sure that they are fully prepared throughout hurricane season, as she offered “thoughts and prayers” to all those in the Caribbean and Florida in the path of the category 5 hurricane.
“Our hearts are with all those persons in the Leeward Islands and Greater Antilles who will soon feel the serious impact of this major storm. May God bless you and be with you,” she said.
Advising residents to monitor Irma closely, Rivers said they should be vigilant throughout the season.
“There are still almost three months left until the end of the 2017 hurricane season, and I urge that all residents prepare with energy and dedication. We must not let our guard down, and for every potential storm threat I ask that you please be safe, be smart and ensure that you undertake sufficient preparation,” she said.
Storms can “quickly develop and be upon us with relatively little warning”, the minister said. “I ask all residents of the Cayman Islands to have your hurricane plans in place, and have all of your necessary and essential supplies ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
Reminding everyone of hurricane basics, she said, “If you have used up your emergency stock of non-perishable food and emergency water supplies it is time to replace them. All residents should aim to have a three-day supply of non-perishable food that does not require refrigeration, preparation, or cooking. Your hurricane supply kit should also have a minimum of 3 gallons of water for each person in the home.
“In addition, all residents should have flashlights; a battery-operated radio, first aid supplies and ensure that insurance premiums are up-to-date.
“All residents should also have a plan for where you will take shelter during a storm, especially if your property is in a low lying area or close to the coastline where storm surges may occur.
“Also, be sure to cut back trees that overhang your home or buildings, check that shutters work and remove any loose debris around the yard such as coconuts and tree limbs.
“If you intend to leave the islands prior to, or after a hurricane, you must ensure that all travel documents are updated and that visas or visa waivers are obtained. Bear in mind too that passports are no longer issued locally.
“I would also advise residents to stay up to date with the weather advisories, especially as there are two more storms currently developing behind Hurricane Irma.
A full list of supplies for your disaster preparedness kit can be found on the Cayman Prepared website. Copies of the Hurricane Information Brochure can be picked up at the ground floor of the Government Administration Building.
“The country depends on our Emergency Services personnel and our First Responders to be ready in a time of crisis; but I ask for all residents to do their part now to ensure that the Cayman Islands are ready,” Minister Rivers said. “It is only by preparing to the highest level that we can have confidence in our ability to weather any storm.”
Category: Science & Nature, Weather
While, thankfully, we remain outside the projected area of Irma’s impact, I encourage our political and public safety leaders to observe hurricane preparedness news conferences conducted in South Florida (TV Channels 2, 3 & 4). That is how leaders address their public during times of crisis, inclusive of the relevant service providers and other relevant partners!!
Monkey see monkey do but ours can’t even emulate, they do it their own way just for a photo op. with their eyes closed. They move their lips, spout some gibberish, think their job is done and collect a big fat paycheck. Primary school kids could do it better.
What is concerning is the Savannah Gully that floods every home from Savannah acres, Savannah meadows, butterfly circle and hirst road every hurricane. Why has the government not addressed this issue? It’s concerning that government is not doing anything.
Yes. Government should not have let those people build in a gully. More Government regulation is the solution.
Good luck from the UK for the hurricane season. Stay safe. Thinking of you all.
I didn’t read very much LEADERSHIP in Ms Rivers advisory, she sounds more like a advisor than a Leader/ Minister . How come she didn’t say any thing about her intentions, and actions that would be taken in the case of an emergency, and what preperation are made in the case of emergency. There goes another Minister who don’t know what her job is all about .
Wow. You sound so bitter! Desperate to be critical even. I hope you are exerting as much energy into your hurricane preparedness efforts. Be safe.
No I am not bitter I am sweet and hate to see people who are not doing doing the job that they are payed to do . And I don’t in courage incompetence and stupidity when it comes around to safety of YOUR LIFE AND EVERYONE’S ELSE .
One thing to add, with a storm this big, we may (blessedly) remain out of its direct path but ‘storm force’ winds could still extend this far. So there’s storm preparations needed for Irma even here. Even if wee don’t have to batten down the hatches a few downed trees could mean you’re eating tinned food for the weekend. Where’s your can opener? (This isn’t a knock on CUC. In America a ‘simple’ winter storm can leave a significant number of people in the dark. Same here with ‘simple’ tropical storm force winds from a Cat5 the other side of Cuba.
Thank you, Tara, for spoon feeding all of us your brilliant advice . You can sleep well now. Seems that this trend is the new norm here, Govt’ officials and especially the RCIPS continue to feel compelled to deliver their latent & blatently obvious advice to educated and law abiding citizens .
1) For appearance. People have actually been asking ‘what is Govt. saying about this’?
2) For action. It actually helps to repeat something over and over so it sinks in. Obviously you have your supplies ready. I admit I was lax this year & got mine in the last couple of weeks as Harvey then Irma gave me a pointed reminder. Others may be even more complacent. So the more something is repeated the more likely it is to sink in. (Get your emergency supplies in advance of need, etc.) Also, note the link to additional information. There will be some people who have some stuff in and were thinking of maybe getting some extra stuff, e.g., a tarp & rope just-in-case, but hadn’t made a plan and hadn’t gotten around to checking what else they might need. They read an article like this, click through the links and it spurs them to their next bit of preparation. (Or, better example, they’ve recently got sick and previously weren’t worried about keeping extra medication stocked as part of the emergency preparations; good thing an article like this makes them review the published lists/tips.)
Every little bit helps, it costs little to repeat good advice, so its a low cost action that may have low return but, like the probability of Irma hooking south a hundred miles, the significance could be huge for the individual.
Precisely. That is how government works. Repeat over and over until everyone believes it.
Insurance policies ready??? Did government ever do anything to those insurance companies that didn’t explain nor put it in writing on how the “pay” out? Or the insurance company that never paid anything? These are the things government should have helped with. The minute a hurricane shows its coming to Cayman Tara’s remark will be “SEE YA” just like the governor did
Good point. Vehicle owners beware. I know of a person that is still paying First Caribbean Bank for a brand new car purchased just before Hurricane Ivan that was completely destroyed. A certain insurance company was allowing them to pay the premium in installments and refused to pay out for the car or accept the final installment once they discovered it was written off. To this day, that person is unable to get a mortgage, car loan etc at any bank because FCB is holding them accountable for the hurricane damaged vehicle and adding on interest every day. Be careful with these insurance companies.
The place for a case like that is court. If it cannot go there then I suspect something else was wrong which is conveniently omitted from mention here.
Nothing was conveniently left out I can assure you. But, seriously, you think if this person was paying an insurance premium in installments, does this appear to be someone that is financially secure enough to take on a bank and insurance company in court? It’s the poor people like them that are taken advantage of in cases such as this but, as the saying goes, time longer than rope….. or a heart attack.
Another useless pension grabbing MLA
OK Madam Capt. Obvious?. Most likely won’t see you until the dust settles. Probably got your plane ticket in hand already?
This is not the Education Dept
You are sick: seek help.