The first Atlantic tropical storm this hurricane season dumped heavy rain on the Cayman Islands on Wednesday and Thursday, creating problems for residents, schools and government offices.
Peter Richards makes his way through flooded streets on Kennedy Drive in George Town on Thursday. |
Tropical Storm Arlene developed Thursday in the northwest Caribbean Sea, its centre passing about 185 miles west of Grand Cayman.
According to Allan Ebanks, weather forecaster at the National Weather Service, 3.8 inches of rain fell locally between 7pm Wednesday and 7am Thursday, with an additional five inches expected over the following 24 hours.
Winds were south to southeast at 18 mph to 25 mph, with gusts of up to 40 mph.
The Glass House was forced to close at 10.20am due to water leaking from the roof as well as from some of the windows.
The Postal Department closed at 1pm because of water damage to buildings.
All government schools and most private schools closed. An announcement was not made until 7.10am to close government schools, since the Education Department had to wait for clearance from the Education Council, according to Francine Gardner, deputy chief education officer.
‘Some children were already at school, but the buses were available to take them home,’ she said.
Raul Smith, facilities officer at the department, explained the heavy rain was of particular concern at John Gray High School.
Walkways are being constructed between the portable classrooms and the main school and for now there are piles of foundation rock waiting to be spread.
‘That plus the rain and the distance from the main school makes the walk treacherous for the students.
‘Eventually, by the end of the day, it will turn into a mud pit,’ Mr. Smith explained.
At 6.45am yesterday, he said, he had checked several schools for flooding and they were fine, with only some leaking from the roofs. The drains at the schools had previously been cleared to prevent flooding.
The National Hurricane Committee ordered the Red Cross shelter on Huldah Avenue opened in light of its declaration of a tropical storm warning yesterday morning.
The Red Cross had up at least 40 beds, said Sandra Miller, volunteer coordinator at the Red Cross. She was assigning jobs to volunteers who were on hand to help set up the shelter, which is designed for 90 people, but has housed up to 180, she said.
‘We are targeting people in the low-lying areas who are still living without roofs and under tarps,’ she said.
Flooding was reported in George Town, Bodden Town and other areas.
Residents also complained about newly repaired roofs leaking and water coming through their windows.
Some homeowners in George Town reported flooding in their houses.
Arlene was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico by Friday, and residents from Florida to Louisiana were told to keep an eye on the tropical storm.
Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Arlene was likely to remain a tropical storm, with an outside chance of developing into a weak hurricane, depending on atmospheric conditions.
The Cuban government issued a tropical storm watch for the western province of Pinar Del Rio to the capital of Havana.
Locally, Mr. Ebanks expected local shower activity to start to decrease by this morning.
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