Archive for November 7th, 2008
Paloma info and updates — Grand Cayman
(CNS): 11:30 UPDATE Sunday. CUC has restored power island wide on Grand Cayman and CAL has resumed operations including normal services on CAL Express to and from the Sister Islands. The University College of the Cayman Islands says the main campus will open on Tuesday, 11 November but the Brac campus will be closed until further notice. Grand Cayman has escaped the brunt of the storm while Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have been devastated by the hurricane’s impact.
CUC: All power has now been restored island wide. Crews were working throughout the day to repair damage to the transmission and distribution system. CUC estimated that it was ableto maintain power to over 60% of the island throughout the storm. CUC President and CEO, Richard Hew said the firm was pleased that it was able to provide service to most of the island throughout the storm. “While the specific damage from a hurricane is largely unpredictable, our preparation and response plans have been effective in minimizing outages,” he added, “While we wish we could keep all power on throughout this type of event, high winds and heavy rain make safe response by line crews impossible. CUC is proud of it’s capable employees, over 90% of whom are Caymanian. Our long service employee base and training programs have produced a very capable human resource which is integral to our reliability.”
If you continue to experience outages in any area please call CUC’s outage hotline at 945-1282. If you encounter downed lines, please contact 911 for emergency response.
UCCI: The University College of the Cayman Islands says the UCCI’S Main Campus will open as previously announced on Tuesday, November 11th 2008. The Cayman Brac Campus will be closed until further notice. Cayman Brac students are welcome to attend classes on the Grand Cayman campus if they are able.
CAL: Power has been restored to Owen Roberts International Airport and Cayman Airways has now resumed operations. The CAL Cargo Department will be open to accept cargo to Cayman Brac at 12:30PM today. CAL has also resumed normal Sister Islands service on CAL Express. Passengers are asked to ensure that all travel documents are in order, which include: visas, re-entry stamps and all other immigration requirements. All passengers are asked to keep checking the airline’s website www.caymanairways.com or call the reservations lines on 949-2311. Reservations will be open today from 12pm until 8pm, and City Ticket Office from 12pm until 7pm to answer queries and assist with re-accommodating affected passengers.
Communications: Digicel and Cable & Wireless mobile networks remain active on all three islands. LIME (as C&W is now known) said that while core telecommunications systems remained operational throughout the storm a small number of services were affected due to the loss of commercial power. These services are coming back on line as commercial power is being restored. A full assessment of damage to services in the Sister Islands will be determined when the All Clear has been issued although mobile service is operational in both islands. Landline customers in areas affected by power outages are advised to use a phone that does not plug into an electrical outlet. Broadband customers can connect to the internet by powering up their ADSL modem using a UPS or generator supply. Residents are asked to not touch nor cut downed telephone cables but to report any such cables or other faults to 611. Prepaid customers of our Gimme 5 can text to short code 126 to receive $5.00 credit. LIME corporate offices and its Anderson Square and Galleria stores will reopen as normal on Tuesday 11 November. The Brac corporate office and retail store reopening will be advised at a later date.
Shelters on Grand Cayman have now close including the Bodden Town Civic Centre which had opened as a refuge for those whose homes have been flooded.
Grand Cayman appears to have experienced minimal damage but residents should be careful when entering flooded buildings. Residents are also reminded that any sand washed onto the roads should not be removed for personal use, because it will need to be returned to the beaches.
RCIPS officers are on patrol on Grand Cayman and criminality will be dealt with robustly.
Guarding Cayman’s history
(CNS): Whilst an enraptured assembly of hopeful bidders had their eyes fixed firmly on the veritable trove of artifacts up for grabs at Saturday’s National Trust Mission House auction, Cayman’s leading security provider had its eyes focused squarely on the safety of everyone who took part. Co-hosted by the National Trust and Grand Old House, the auction was planned to raise money for the historic ‘Mission House’ in Bodden Town.
With a dazzling array of antiquities and Caymanian artifacts (some a century old) on display, the security experts were keeping a keen eye on more than just the guests. President and CEO of The Security Centre, Stuart Bostock, said, “We were delighted to support this event by donating one of our guards. The National Trust plays a vital role in protecting Caymanian culture through fundraising efforts such as these. We are proud to have been able to help out.”
National Trust Development and Marketing Manager, Caroline Key said, “The Grand Old House is a great example of how the preservation of a historic building can be profitable and beneficial to the community.” Expressing her gratitude to the Security Centre, Key added, “We would like to thank the Security Centre for donating their time and expertise.”
The Security Centre began providing security guards and alarm systems to businesses and homes in 1993. Today, it is the Cayman Islands’ leading full-service security and life-safety company, offering complete security solutions from electronic systems to physical services.
Cayman business continuity in place, says Governor
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Governor. H.E. Stuart Jack, in a statement Thursday gave his assurances that the islands’ business continuity plans for the financial services sector were fully operational. “It is anticipated that, similar to other storm threats that Cayman has experienced, our financial services industry will continue meeting the needs of the global markets without disruption,” he said.
Many of the larger professional services firms are housed in state-of-the-art, well-built commercial buildings, which can also be used as shelters for staff and their families, further ensuring continuity, the governor said.
Post event, he noted, a number of firms were prepared to move operations and staff, if necessary, to other sites within their networks. He said many private-sector firms also employed disaster recovery centres, as did government agencies that support and regulate the financial sector. These would assist them in securing data and ensuring fully-operational, connected working environments, inthe event of damage to physical offices.
“I am also pleased to report that members of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service are standing by, and that all off-duty officers are on call. All of government’s Hazard Management sub-committees are on full active duty,” Jack said. “Furthermore, the UK Government is on standby to assist, and a Royal Navy ship will soon arrive, in order to provide humanitarian assistance should it be needed.”
The Governor continued, “Our residents, also, are preparing in earnest. This multilevel preparedness – business, government, and residents – works together, for the continued strength of the country. Be assured that we are well prepared for Paloma. The Cayman Islands has a record of maintaining continuity of service, and of getting up and running in short order after a storm. We trust that this time will be no different. I wish everyone in the Cayman Islands all the best, as we approach this storm with our characteristic resilience and preparedness.”
Paloma lands in Cuba
(CNS): Update – 7:00 pm The ‘All Clear’ has been given to the Sister Islands as Hurricane Paloma moves leaving devistation in its wake. Paloma has now made landfall in Cuba as a category 3 hurricane with wind speeds of 120 mph. Cuba has been hit by just about every hurricane during the 2008 Alantic season and at 7:00 pm yet another dangerous strom made landfall just east of Santa Cruz del Sur.
At 7:00 pm the center of Hurricane Paloma was located near latitude 20.8 north longitude 77.9 west or about 75 milessouth-southwest of camaguey Cuba moving toward the northeast near 10 mph and this general motion is expected through Sunday with a decrease in forward speed after landfall. M
Steady weakening is expected for the next day or twoespecially as Paloma moves across Cuba tonight and Sunday morning.H
Meanwhile another area of showers and thunderstorms has developed in association with a non-tropical low pressure system located about 700 miles southwest of the Azores Islands. The NHC said that environmental conditions appear somewhat favorable for development of a subtropical cyclone during the next day or two if thunderstorm activity persists near the low pressure center.