HMCI advises public to prepare now for 2011 season

(CNS): With less than three weeks to go before the start of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, officials are urging the public to get prepared. Forecasters expect an active season and Hazard Management Cayman Islands said residents should now take steps to ensure they are ready. “When Cayman is impacted by a major hurricane, residents will likely find themselves without immediate access to supermarkets, gasoline, banks, running water, electricity and many of the services and resources they have grown accustomed to in their daily lives, HMCI Director McCleary Frederick pointed out.

He said that realistically, it could be a week or more before the flow of normal goods and services are restored if the country is impacted by a major cyclone. “Minimize your dependence on government, family or friends to support you in the aftermath of a storm, begin taking the steps needed to get prepared,” he said ahead of the National Day of Preparedness on Monday May 16.

Residents are urged to update their family plan, restock their first aid kit and supplies of non-perishable food on the designated day.

“If you have a generator get it serviced and check your shutters, sometimes rust and debris can accumulate in the tracks and this can make them hard to install," added McCleary.

Other suggestions include checking on insurance policies to ensure they are current, removing debris from the yard and trimming back trees.

Statistically September is the peak month of the hurricane season, but early and late season storms sometimes form in the western Caribbean. When this occurs (as was the case with Hurricane Paloma) the lead time for preparation can be short. "Don’t get caught out, set aside food and water for 5 to 7 days,” the expert stated.

In the lead up to the National Day of Preparedness, members of staff from Hazard Management Cayman Islands have been handing out Hurricane Preparedness Information Kits on the weekends to customers at various local hardware stores. Participating stores include Cox Lumber Company, A.L. Thompson’s, Kirk Home Centre and Progressive Distributors.

“If you get ready now you reap the benefits later in the season! No battling traffic, no long lines at the stores, less tension and more peace of mind,” McLeary advised.

If you haven’t already received your information kit they are available at the HMCI Office at Cayman Corporate Centre or on the website www.caymanprepared.ky;