Hurricanes expected near Cayman before season-end
(CNS): The Cayman Islands has barely been impacted by any of the storms that have come into our area so far this year, even though this hurricane season has been busy. But John Tibbetts, the director general of the National Weather Service, is warning that this could very well change before the end of the season, given the revised forecast calling for several more hurricanes.
Sixteen years after Hurricane Ivan devastated Grand Cayman on 11 September 2004, Tibbetts said, in his peak season update delivered on Thursday, that we can expect more major storms in this area in the second half of the 2020 season.
He said that for the rest of this month we should be keeping an eye on storms forming off the west coast of Africa, but by November we should be looking closer to home for storms forming directly in our neighbourhood in the Western Caribbean.
The US National Hurricane Center issued advisories on Thursday on two tropical storms, Paulette and Rene, both of which posed no threat Cayman as they headed on their northerly track, However, Paulette could be a hurricane by the time it reaches Bermuda next week.
Meanwhile, forecasters at the NHC gave a tropical wave off the Cape Verde Islands a 60% chance of becoming a tropical depression within the next two days.
See the peak hurricane season report on CIGTV below:
Category: Science & Nature, Weather
Today it will be partly sunny, or partly cloudy. Only a trained meteorologist can tell us which.
What does exactly “be prepared” mean in the Cayman islands?
#1 how on the island flat as a pancake one can be prepared to 5-15 ft storm surges?
# how one can be prepared when hurricane proved residential houses are exceptions, not the rule
#3 how one can be prepared when there are no shelters built that withstand cat 3-5?
#4 how one can be prepared when evacuation flights won’t be provided?
#5 how one can be prepared when there’s no central registry listing all people who would need an evacuation assistance? Elderly, disabled, etc.
#6 how one can be prepared if there is no “assistance team members ” exist that is assigned to each individual who would required such an assistance? They should already know each other and at least one or two “simulation” took place.
#7 how the country can be prepared if it didn’t stock up materials, equipment necessary to restore essential infrastructure?
I assume you haven’t been here during a proper hurricane due to the slant of your post?
Why don’t you suggest solutions rather than list a litany of criticisms? I’m sure you can suggest some positive measures if you want.
I thought it is the job of the Hazard Management Department to provide solutions or suggest measures, not the folks who rightfully ask right questions.
What the 🤬 they’re supposed to do before hurricanes to at least save their lives?
The website says they are ““Preparing Communities Today for Disasters of Tomorrow”.
BUT..
…”Cayman Prepared” site IS NOT answering the above questions.
An example: Homepage > Hazards > Hurricanes > Public Planning > then ❗️❗️❗️IT GOES STRAIGHT TO “Mitigation”.
Did they inadvertently skipped “Public Planning”❓❓❓
Last Updated: 2010-08-15 ❗️❗️❗️ I am not kidding. 6 paragraphs of hogwash!
http://www.caymanprepared.ky/portal/page/portal/hmchome/hazards/hurricaneinfo/public
Maybe, in the16 “Cayman Prepared” years since Hurricane Ivan, Cayman might have built some Cat 5 approved bunkers. Some of those storm deaths were from people caught inside emergency shelters that had collapsed/failed – forcing some to make their way to another location mid-fury. We don’t have nearly enough capacity for our population.
People died in Ivan?
9:12 am do you feLly have information of deaths during Hurricane Ivan or are you simply talking Oouta of your asquaresus. Do tell!
Hello fellow human, you sound frightened . Obviously you have been reading disaster preparedness strategies in other communities.
Your comments strike a chord for sure, however, we have had experience with hurricanes which perhaps you haven’t. There are processes and systems in place including designated shelters which have been built to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, there are volunteer Squads who are trained to assist During and after a hurricane event. In addition , and highly important , we are a Community of people who when needed will have people get on their backhoes, trucks, excavators and help where needed. So do not mock us fella, just hope and pray if you are so minded that we do not experience a hurricane, however you can rest assured that if we do we will all be in this together. So prepare be watchful and if it comes please stay safe.
English is NOT my first language but I know John couldn’t possibly have said a “hurricane is expected”, unless he is part of some weather manipulation conspiracy or controls the spirit of hurucan. That’s for GOD alone to know.
If there is a high Possibility fine, that we can understand.
there is a spell check option, misspellings are highlighted, you can’t miss it.
Always a possibility this time of year.
If John Tibbetts said that hurricanes are “expected near Cayman before season end” he should be fired immediately because there is no way he can responsibly predict such a thing. But I don’t think that’s what he said.
yawn….nothing we can do but keep an eye out…
and be prepared.
…keep our eyes and ears open to the weather reports is our best bet for proper preparation.
We could also have a major earthquake that would see us disappear beneath the waves. We have chosen to live with these risks. Nothing new here.
We can expect hurricanes in hurricane season! Slow news day?
Cayman is turning into America more every day. Keeping it’s people in fear. Might be a hurricane. Might get overwhelmed by Covid. Might never see tourism returning. Might run out of money. Might, might, rhymes with s***e!
obsession with “could”. It’s really not very difficult. Nothing is certain. Everything is COULD except that you WILL die. You COULD already be dead as I type this or you COULD live to be one hundred.
Don’t jinx it Tibbetts! 2020’s been rough as it is! 😫
No one cares, we just tuck and roll from June to November bobo!
I remember when Ivan was a few days away.
All the naysayers were in ALT fighting for plywood.
Look. Hurricanes are a fact.
Respect each other, Covid and hurricanes and we will do better.
Global warming is no joke.
Perhaps you should read some Caribbean History. Hurricanes (and earthquakes) are well documented throughout.
Perhaps you should read some climatology reports; hurricanes are going through rapid intensification more often and getting more severe now – and it’s attributed to climate change.
A “climatology report” that forecasts the weather in Cayman over the next 2 months? Good luck with that.
It’s called ‘climate change’ now because when there are record snowfalls and ice storms it didn’t quite fit.
But yes it did. Global warming and climate change are two separate but equal things.
More trendy commie doublespeak.
You should be more concerned about your environment that is being ruined by humans and less about what it’s called.
You are not GOD only he knows that info
Oh Christ!!
Theoretically, if Jesus did not like His title used in a disrespectful way and then you stood before Him to explain yourself, what would you say?
I refrain from using these titles in cases of personal vanity because I may be offending Someone who is responsible for my salvation.
All the best going forward.
Precisely. This is just clickbait alarmism. It’s the same every year. This year is no different. We might get hit or we might not, or they might or might not come near us. We all know this.
Seems to me that meteorologist Tibbetts isn’t averse to a bit of free publicity on a slow news day.
Thanks, you saved me from commenting “They say this every year”.
Which one though? I need to make sure my sources are reliable.
The big one. You will know Him when you meet Him.
All your sources will be instantly verified.