For the latest information on storm activity in the Cayman Islands, as well as information on how to prepare for hurricane season, visit Storm Centre.
As clean-up operations in parts of Florida continue, Caymanians who felt the brush of Idalia say they are thankful they were unscathed as the Category 4 hurricane passed Wednesday.
Helen Lazzari-Lerner, speaking with the Cayman Compass via Facebook messenger Wednesday afternoon from her St. Augustine home, said that, while there were some tense moments, the storm did not damage her community.
“We’ve had heavy, heavy winds and heavy, heavy rains. We, of course, were always under the threat of heavy tornadoes. But we were prepared. We always keep a lot of canned foods and, being a Bracker, we always did that,” she said.
Sky News reported Wednesday evening that 250,000 homes lost power and properties were submerged by storm surges.
Though about 250 miles away at its closest, Idalia made its presence felt in Cayman, sending rough seas along the coastline Monday and Tuesday as the storm headed for the US.
The effects of those waves were seen late Tuesday and Wednesday as mounds of marine algae, accompanied by litter, defaced Seven Mile Beach near the Kimpton Seafire.
Clearing of the smelly and unsightly seaweed was in full swing at the beach on Wednesday.
Idalia, which was downgraded to a tropical storm as it headed to Georgia late Wednesday, is set to reach Bermuda in the coming days.
It will be the second brush with foul weather for the British Overseas Territory after the passage of Hurricane Franklin this week.
Operations at the Tampa International Airport are set to resume full operations at 3am Thursday, 31 Aug., officials announced.
“TPA is fortunate to have avoided the worst effects of such a dangerous storm, after acting in an abundance of caution to protect the safety of our passengers, employees and facilities,” Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano said in a statement Wednesday evening.
“We’re focused now on returning to full operational capacity to continue serving our community and to assist in recovery efforts for our fellow Floridians.”
A Cayman Airways spokesperson confirmed that the national flag carrier’s Tampa flights will continue as scheduled Thursday.
Over in Spring Hill, Rebecca Cahajla also reported all was well after Hurricane Idalia passed.
She said her son Sebastian’s rain gauge captured about 3 inches of water Wednesday morning, and added there was no damage to her property.
Jannet Lawrence, who lives in Lithia, Tampa, said there was little storm activity by her home.
“[There was] a little wind and rain. The river down the road flooded but it didn’t affect our neighborhood. All except me in my household slept through it,” she said in a Facebook message Wednesday.
She did say, however, that she was concerned when she saw that the storm had reached Category 4.
“I figured we would be okay where we are, but I know people, including students in the South Tampa area,” Lawrence said, which added to her worry.
Lazzari-Lerner said there are a lot of Caymanians still in the Tampa Bay area, but they all reported that they were safe.
“I have called all my relatives, all my friends in Tampa, and they have reported in safe. I believe we’ve skirted through safely. So [I’m] only reporting good news,” she said.
Lawrence’s sister, Anne Rice, who lives in St. Petersburg, also said she was safe. However, she added that there was flood water all around her area.
“[I] am waiting on the next high tide. [The] area did well; we did not lose electricity,” she added.
Lazzari-Lerner sent her best wishes to the Cayman Islands for the rest of the hurricane season.
“We have September and October and November to get through. So it’s possible for us to have more. So I would say to everybody, stay vigilant… make sure those batteries are in the lights and keep your canned food handy and check in on your friends,” she added.
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