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Immigration crackdown nets 45
Shark’s wide face explained
(The Guardian): The bizarre appearance of hammerhead sharks has led generations of marine biologists to ponder the same question: why the wide face? Part of the answer may now be at hand. Eye tests on species caught off the coasts of Florida and Hawaii show that the wider the head the better the shark’s binocular vision, and hence its perception of distance. The fish are thought to have evolved their wide, wing-like skulls to enhance their sense of smell and ability to pick up electrical activity from other marine life, but the latest study is the first to investigate the role eyesight may have played.
Europe takes Britain to task
(Times Online): Brussels turned up the heat on Britain yesterday over the Government’s plunge into the red as a result of the recession and the banking crisis. In a fresh warning shot at the Treasury over its soaring budget deficit, the European Commission classed Britain alongside the struggling Irish Republic and stricken Latvia as the European Union economies whose national finances had been most dangerously hit by the costs of the crisis. Alistair Darling was again urged to take more urgent and radical measures to bolster the UK’s budgetary position, which Brussels said was set to be even worse next year than the Chancellor has forecast so far as the recession bites harder than the Treasury expects.
Gustav changes track
(CNS): Tropical Storm Gustav turned southwest overnight and is strengthening. The shift in track will now bring it very close to Grand Cayman tomorrow (Friday 29 August). Gustav’s centre is expected to pass very close to Jamaica later today. The forecast is for Gustav to become a category 1 hurricane near Grand Cayman early Friday afternoon. Grand Cayman is also likely to start experiencing hurricane-strength winds early tomorrow evening (29 August).
Tropical storm-force winds are likely to start affecting Grand Cayman early tomorrow afternoon. Therefore, the Cayman Islands remain under a hurricane Watch. This means that hurricane conditions could begin to affect the Islands within 36 hours. The timing of local activities such as airport closures will be announced to residents.
At 4:00 am. local time, the centre of Tropical Storm Gustav was located near 17.8 N 75.6 W, or 392 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman, 305 miles southeast of the Sister Islands. Gustav is near stationary, with maximum sustained winds near 70mph with higher gusts.
The Sister Islands Emergency Committee continues to monitor Tropical Storm Gustav. Preparations are well in hand, and committee members are in close touch with Hazard Management Cayman Islands. Cayman Islands residents should monitor all local media outlets that carry local news in order to stay informed about Gustav.
Forecasters in Miami said that Gustav has been moving little during the past couple of hours but is expected to resume a motion toward the west-southwest and turn toward the west is expected later today as it passes very close to Jamaica. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 70 mph with higher gusts. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 50 miles.
Rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected over southern Cuba, 6 to 12 inches over Jamaica and the Cayman Islands with isolated maximum amounts of up to 25 inches possible. These rains will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. Coastal storm surge flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels can be expected in areas of onshore winds in the hurricane warning area.
Gustav is blamed for the death of 23 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and is projected to hit the US Gulf Coast Monday. One of its likely tracks is toward New Orleans, the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed 1,500 people and caused at least $80 billion in damage in several Gulf Coast states. The Louisiana governor has already declared a state of emergency and has called for 3,000 members of the National Guard to help prepare for the storm.
Meanwhile, in Cayman government is urging residents to complete preparations. To reduce any possibility of flying or floating debris, residents are advised to ensure that all movable construction materials are secured at jobsites and any loose tools and materials removed from yards. Residents should make sure they have food and medicine supplies, shuttering supplies, as well as important documents, including travel documents, in order. They should also look after marine interests and have a pet safety plan. Residents are also advised to check generators and make sure they have fuel, and ensure that family members and anyone who will be staying with them in the event of a storm are aware of the plan.
The Water Authority – Cayman is urging all customers to take note of the water specific tips on their website www.waterauthority.ky. Customers are also reminded that major hurricanes do pose a serious threat to our pipelines along the coast, and therefore it may become necessary for the Authority to temporarily disrupt service in order to protect the distribution system. Should this action become necessary, the Water Authority will give as much notice as possible once the decision has been made. The Public Works Department and National Roads Authority will be closed today as both departments will begin shuttering and preparing government facilities. Anyone in need of emergency assistance may call the helpdesk at 916-6694.
Cayman Islands residents should monitor all local media outlets that carry local news in order to stay informed about Gustav and the next JIS bulletin will be at 10:30am
Cayman Prepares for Gustav
(CNS): The Cayman Islands remain under a Hurricane Watch as Tropical Storm Gustav continues moving away from Haiti. Gustav is expected to slowly regain hurricane strength tomorrow evening as it passes north of Jamaica, and tropical storm force winds are likely to start affecting the Sister Islands from around 11:00 pm Thursday, 28 August 28. The timing of local activities such as airport closures will be announced to residents.
According to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami, at 1:00 pm local time, the centre of Tropical Storm Gustav was located near 18.8 N 74.4 W, or 358 miles east-southeast of Cayman Brac. Gustav is moving west near 5mph, with maximum sustained winds near 60 mph. A west to west-northwest track is forecast during the next day or two, with a gradual increase in forward speed.
The Hazard Management Cayman Islands’ Joint Communications Service (JCS) reports that the Sister Islands Emergency Committee is monitoring Tropical Storm Gustav and making preparations, and keeping in close touch with Hazard Management Cayman Islands. Cayman Islands residents should monitor all local media outlets that carry local news in order to stay informed about Gustav.
At this time, residents should make sure they have food and medicine supplies, shuttering supplies, as well as important documents, including travel documents, in order. They should also look after marine interests and have a pet safety plan. Residents are also advised to check generators and make sure they have fuel, and ensure that family members and anyone who will be staying with them in the event of a storm are aware of the plan.
The Water Authority – Cayman is urging all customers to take note of the water specific tips on their website www.waterauthority.ky. Customers are also reminded that major hurricanes do pose a serious threat to our pipelines along the coast, and therefore it may become necessary for the Authority to temporarily disrupt service in order to protect the distribution system. Should this action become necessary, the Water Authority will give as much notice as possible once the decision has been made.
The Public Works Department and National Roads Authority will close for regular business tomorrow (Wednesday, 27 August) and Thursday, 28 August. Both departments will begin shuttering and preparing government facilities for the passage of Hurricane Gustav. Anyone in need of emergency assistance may call the helpdesk at 916-6694.
In order to facilitate hurricane preparations, the Planning Department will be closed to the public on Wednesday, 27 August, and will reopen as soon as practical thereafter.
The meeting of the Central Planning Authority scheduled for Wednesday, 27 August, has been rescheduled for Wednesday 3 September 2008, conditions permitting. Interested parties are asked to monitor the media for further announcements.
The Department would also like to remind all residents and contractors to take a moment to ensure that all construction material and jobsites are secured to minimise flying and floating debris.
Hurricane Watch in effect
(CNS): With Gustav heading for the Cayman Islands, a Hurricane Watch came into effect 6:00 pm Tuesday indicating that hurricane conditions could begin to affect the Cayman Islands by early Thursday, according to the latest report from the Hazard Management Cayman Islands’ Joint Communications Service (JCS).
JCS reports that the Sister Islands Emergency Committee is monitoring Hurricane Gustav and initiating preparations, and keeping in close touch with Hazard Management Cayman Islands. According to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami, at 5:00 pm EDT Hurricane Gustav was located near 18.4 north and 73.2 west, or about 450 miles east-southeast of the Sister Islands, and 538 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman. The storm is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph. A turn toward the west-northwest, with a decrease in forward speed, is expected tonight and a general west-northwest motion is expected on Wednesday.
Gustav is a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 75 mph, with higher gusts. Some weakening is likely while the center is over land, but re-strengthening is forecast to begin when the centre moves back over water tonight or early Wednesday. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 15 miles from the centre, and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles. The estimated minimum central pressure is 992 Mb.
JCS recommends that Cayman Islands residents should monitor all local media outlets that carry local news in order to stay informed about Hurricane Gustav. The next JCS bulletin will be issued at 10 pm local time this evening.
At this time, residents should make sure they have food and medicine supplies, shuttering supplies, as well as important documents, including travel documents, in order. They should also look after marine interests and have a pet safety plan. Residents are also advised to check generators and make sure they have fuel, and ensure that family members and anyone who will be staying with them in the event of a storm are aware of the plan.
Gustav, the seventh storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, Fears that Gustav may strike US Gulf of Mexico oil rigs and refineries by next week pushed the price of crude oil up by more than $2 a barrel.
Spill closes road section
Public Service Announcement: Residents are advised to avoid the section of Eastern Avenue from Shedden Road to the traffic light at the junction with Godfrey Nixon Way (near to Young World Fashion). The RCIPS Traffic Department has closed this section of the road to facilitate the clean-up.