Premier urges Cayman to remember lessons of season
Devastation left by Hurricane Irma (Photo courtesy of the British Red Cross)
(CNS): With the hurricane season underway and forecasters calling for an average season, not unlike last year, Premier Alden McLaughlin urged Cayman Islands residents to keep in mind the many lessons learned over the years, as major storms wreaked havoc in our sister British Overseas Territories last year and our own islands in 2004 and 2008. “I cannot stress enough about the need to be prepared and vigilant as we enter another hurricane season,” McLaughlin stated Tuesday in his message to the country encouraging people to prepare before it’s too late.
McLaughlin noted that the governments and people of Anguilla, Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands are still cleaning up from the devastation that damaged lives, homes, businesses and economies last season, when Cayman was spared but sent supplies and assistance to those territories.
The premier offered his misgivings about relying on predictions about any given season and quoted former director of the National Weather Service, Fred Sambula, who often said that “it only takes one hurricane to do the damage and make it a bad season for the Cayman Islands”.
“We found that out with Hurricanes Ivan and Paloma,” McLaughlin added. “No two hurricanes are alike and while prognosticators tell us how many storms will form and how powerful they will be, they cannot predict any one storm’s disposition.”
McLaughlin warned the public not to wait until the last minute when a storm is approaching as that is a stressful time, both emotionally and financially. He also reminded families to not only stock up on hurricane supply kits but to secure important documents like passports and insurance papers, given how susceptible to water surge in any storm Cayman can be.
“While that surge is usually limited to the coastal regions, the heavy rainfalls we experienced a few weeks ago are a reminder that flooding is a problem, especially in low-lying areas,” he added, as he urged people to have a plan, pay attention to the media if a storm heads our way and to stay safe.
Category: Science & Nature, Weather
The budget put forth by this very government shows the real concerns of the CIG coalition from hell, storm shelters aren’t a priority and they aren’t really prepared for any major incidents
Ivan wasn’t that long ago, and we are already letting our guard down
When the storm comes, (the key word being “when” because It WILL come) I hope Alden and his ministers will be taking those without homes and shelters into their own homes because if any significant portion of the 15,000+ people in the eastern districts need somewhere to they are going to have to suck salt
“Good Governance”
“For love of country”
For love of Power and money
Diogenes
The lesson learned is if we need help don’t count on the UK for squat.
Alot of indigeous caymanians do not have a job and do not know where their next meal is coming from. Living in poor condition such as no water, electricity or flushing toilets. Some are even homeless or living in houses that not even fit for a dog too live in them. Also the Needs Assessment Unit do not give the less fortunate families that are willing too care for their family members that needs to be helped the right amount of assistance they rather burden the less fortunate families with the responsibilty so that those families can live a much harder and poorer life than they were living before. Drain them too pieces until they become sick or their last drop of blood drain from their vains. Needs Assessment rather pay for apartments for those family members even if the families have a room that they can rent them Needs Assessment do not want to pay the other family member for the rent but they want the family members too take up the responsibilty even when they can not afford it or when they pay rent for an apartment some where else for those family members and it do not work out for them Needs Assessnent want the family members too then take up the responsibilty and live a hard life begging Needs Assessment for help and cannot get the help or the right amount of help for those same family members. There is are some big fat and bad minded elephants in the Needs Assessment that is destroying families more than they were before. How can less fortunate families prepare for a hurricane or any other disaster if they do not have it. This is the right time the UK have too urgently look into this situation when the cayman islands representatives is trying too protect the financial sector of the cayman islands and the less fortunate is suffering and leaving the cayman islands to live in the UK because life is so hard for them too live in the cayman islands. The people can not even get the basic needs in life such as shelter, food, health care and the right for a good standard of education especially the children with special needs most of them continue to be called bad until they end up in the judiciary system classed as criminals and unfotunately most of the time they will get locked-up prison and become the real big criminals just because they did not get the correct help at the right time. Please read the the Yolanda Ford report the proof is in the pudding the chickens are home too roost.
What indigeous Caymanians? You talking the indians or those that were here after salvery or the watered down mix up blood ones
Whoever you are, you need to have a little more respect.
I first came here in the 70s and I can assure you, there were Caymanians living here. They were and still are to some extent a great people.
Why are you so negative?
Can you not just give people that you obviously despise a little break?
They did not ask for you.
While you are at it, can you please learn to write properly?
You destroy your credibility with your illiterate ignorance.
Then again, you are indicative of the baboons our masonic government has decided to import in their infinite wisdom.
What in the name of all thats’s holy was that incomprehensible ramble about?
Only indigeous caymanians are the blue iguanas.
These Caymanian have a pretty impressive society. Look what they made from nothing but turtles and sand. Imagine if your people were only 1/4 as good
06/06/2018 at 8:20 am – It is a sad state of affairs for those that live in Rock Hole in shacks not fit for dogs. But they still carry on procreating like dogs. Why do you keep having babies that you cannot feed???? And then depend on Needs Assessment for help…
Assess your OWN NEEDS and start with yourself! Use birth control for a start!
Ugh, I can’t even
What I remember from Ivan is that Government had no clue what to do and the Private Sector stepped in and did the job, better than Government, faster and often at much lower cost. The lesson of the Season is that Government should probably leave almost all post hurricane issues to the private sector and charities.
Hey premier, what are you doing with the cruise dock? What are you doing about immigration.? What about your gun reduction plan? People would like to hear from you about important things you actually controll.
All of this rhetoric by our esteemed premier yet no hurricane shelters/buildings to withstand CAT 4 for the residents of Savannah, Newlands, Lower Valley, Pedro and Bodden Town? This is unreal, if a CAT 4 or 5 occurs (and I hope not) more than half of the population could be horribly effected. He is warning the people not to wait until the last minute and to have a plan. Makes one wonder why nothing has been done to remedy this situation. What is his plan for us? Where will we go? Why isn’t there a suitable shelter in each district? This is really disgraceful.
And if what we have seen in the past year is anything to go on
The absolute mess that was the SOL Depot fire response and evacuation, and Earthquake/Tsunami communication (or lack thereof), boating incidents that are left up to civilian boaters to resolve, missing persons being untraceable for days and days on end.
The CIG can put on their show with disaster preparedness exercises and messages but if anyone is naive enough to actually believe we can depend on them to be prepared they have another thing coming
Even the quickest response or communique from the various departments and groups in the CIG is often too late
and it is the residents of these islands who will one day suffer because of it
Diogenes
☔️exactly. Did he offer financial assistance to those who want to hurrucane proof their houses? Do people even know about hurricane straps? Where do they find materials and contractors who specialize in buildings reinforcement? Where should people go in case of an emergency?
Those countries that are still cleaning up were not prepared. Bermuda houses don’t fall apart during hurricanes. They have built a hurricane resistant infrastructure. By Law, their houses and other establishments are made of stone or cement block with roofs made of slate, capable of withstanding extreme winds.
We have no development plan and that is the failure of PPM UDP and Julie’s government.
The developers do not want a development plan and the developers own all governments.
Alden’s statement is only more of his
empty bla bla.