[IMG: Hurricane Georges making landfall on the Dominican Republic September 22, 1998; Credit: Dennis Chesters, Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, Craig Mayhew, and Hal Pierce, Laboratory for Atmospheres, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Caribbean Hurricane Page

Updates from the Islands
Georges - the Cayman Islands
http://www.gobeach.com/hurr.htm


Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 12:17:13 -0400
From: Barbara Currie Dailey (bcurrie@candw.ky)
Subject: Cayman website has weather information

To all friends out there, when you need weather information about Cayman
in the future, you can find the latest daily report on
www.caymanislands.ky. This is the official government site, a
cooperative effort between the Department of Tourism and Ministry of
Tourism. If you click on the animated Sir Turtle on the home page, it
will take you into the main menu and the weather page is easy to find.

It is updated each morning by our meteorological station here on Grand
Cayman.

A reminder that the Cayman Islands is located in the western Caribbean,
not the Gulf of Mexico or Leeward Islands.


Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 07:59:31 -0400 From: Barbara Currie Dailey (bcurrie@candw.ky) Subject: Cayman Islands not touched Cayman Islands Not Affected by Hurricane Georges GRAND CAYMAN, BWI - 28 September, 1998: The Cayman Islands was not affected by Hurricane Georges last week. Other than flights cancellations by American Airlines and Cayman Airways late in the week due to the closing of Miami International Airport, Georges had no impact on the Cayman Islands. "While we are very thankful that our islands were untouched by this storm, our prayers and thoughts are with our neighbors throughout the Caribbean who suffered tremendous losses," said Director of Tourism Mrs. Angela Martins. "We were prepared, however. Our national Hurricane Committee began making preparations well in advance of any potential threat to the Cayman Islands, "added Mrs. Martins, who is a committee member. The Cayman Islands Government has an internationally recognized plan of action in the event of any threat by a serious storm or hurricane, overseen by the national Hurricane Committee. The committee goes on the alert as soon as a storm is reported anywhere in the Caribbean region, carefully monitoring weather conditions which could activate Cayman's comprehensive hurricane preparations. The Hurricane Committee comprises members of government, organizations such as the Red Cross and the private sector. Specific subcommittees oversee all areas of storm preparation, from evacuating visitors to arranging transportation to shelters and keeping residents informed with storm updates. Cayman's state-of- the- art modern telecommunications system insures that visitors will be informed well in advance of any approaching storms requiring evacuation. Resort managers in the three islands would advise guests of any evacuation plans. Outgoing flights are arranged for visitors 48 hours before any expected hurricane strike, with extra flights by Cayman Airways if necessary. There is also an active Amateur Radio Society in the Cayman Islands with 12 licensed operators in Grand Cayman and four on Cayman Brac. If a storm threatens, the Society mans a station at Cayman^Òs National Hurricane Headquarters to contact amateur radio operators overseas and convey vital information before, during and after a national disaster. Members do not operate on fixed frequencies. According to the Society^Òs spokesman Roger Corbin of Grand Cayman, "Any interested ham operator knows or can find out easily how to make contact with us. There is a network of hams worldwide who are regularly involved in the handling of emergency radio traffic which includes the dissemination of official information. The callsign for the ham radio station at the Cayman Islands National Hurricane Center is ZF1E and hams are asked not to call that station when they hear it on the air. They are encouraged to listen to transmissions since information relayed will be official and not based on rumors. Cayman's amateur radio operators work closely with Cayman^Òs National Hurricane Committee and would be on the air continuously in the event of a national emergency. Located in the far Western Caribbean, the exact coordinates for the Cayman Islands are: Grand Cayman, 19.18 degrees N, 81.22 degrees W. The Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, 19.8 degrees N, 79.9 degrees W.

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