Hurricane forces water outage; residents of low-lying areas urged to prepare

For the latest information on Hurricane Beryl, visit Storm Centre. 

Update, 4:15pm: The water supply managed by the Water Authority will be shut off in Grand Cayman at 9:30pm and on Cayman Brac at 6:30pm as Hurricane Beryl closes in on the islands. The Water Authority urged residents to store water for drinking and other needs, if they have not already done so. Customers are urged to close shut-off valves to prevent property damage, should plumbing become damaged and form leaks during the storm.

Cayman Water, which supplies West Bay and Seven Mile Beach, said water would not be cut off for its customers unless necessary.

Beryl is forecast to be at or near major hurricane intensity when it passes the Cayman Islands this evening.

“On the forecast track, the center of Beryl will pass near or over the southern coast of Jamaica during the next few hours,” the US-based National Hurricane Center reported at 4pm.

“After that, the center is expected to pass near or over the Cayman Islands tonight or early Thursday and move over the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico Thursday night or early Friday.”

As of 4pm, Beryl was located 265 miles south-southeast of Grand Cayman with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.

Government advised residents of the following low-lying areas to take urgent precautions due to the coming flood risk:

Update, 10:50am: The government has issued a ‘stay in place’ notice for later today in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Beryl.

Members of the public are being advised to remain indoors from 6pm this evening until after the all-clear is issued.

The notice is an advisory, rather than an official curfew, the government said in a statement.

“There are currently no plans to officially restrict movement as the public is expected to comply with guidance given in the interest of their own safety,” according to the government statement.

“Unnecessary travel could cause added emergencies during this period of heightened response. With this in mind, persons who are choosing to take shelter away from home should do so before nightfall to ensure that they are within a secure location before weather conditions begin to deteriorate,” it added.

It also advised people to lock their doors and windows, and also to keep phone lines clear for emergency calls.

As of 10am, Hurricane Beryl, which is still a Category 4 storm, had slowed its forward movement to 18 miles per hour, but continued to have maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. At that time it was 365 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman, and moving in a west-northwesterly direction.

By 10am, Jamaica was beginning to experience tropical-storm-force winds, with hurricane-force winds expected in the next few hours, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Original story: 6am: Hurricane Beryl weakened slightly overnight but remains a Category 4 “highly dangerous” storm as it continues its path towards Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

According to the 4am updates by Cayman’s National Weather Service and the US National Hurricane Center, Beryl’s wind speed was 145 miles per hour, as it continued on its west-northwest trajectory at 20 mph.

At 4am, the hurricane was 485 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman.

The latest model shows the centre of the storm moving slightly south of Jamaica and Cayman.

Based on its current forecast track, the projected onset of storm-related winds are expected to begin at 9:30pm Wednesday and end at 5am Thursday in Cayman Brac; from 10pm to 6am in Little Cayman; and 12:30am to 11am in Grand Cayman.

The local forecasters say winds of 50 to 60 mph, with higher gusts, can be expected on Thursday, along with widespread flooding.

“Extremely rough seas, significant swells, and some storm surge is expected to peak around Thursday morning and begin to subside by Thursday evening,” the National Weather Service noted in its latest update. It added that rough seas would be expected to continue through Friday.

As well as the Hurricane Warning that Cayman is currently under, a flood warning and a marine warning are also in effect. All marine vessels are being advised to seek and remain in safe harbour until further notice.

On Wednesday, wave heights of 6 to 9 feet are anticipated, rising to 10-15 feet, accompanied by a storm surge of 2-4 feet on Thursday, particularly along the south coast.

According to the Cayman Islands National Weather Service, the closest point of approach to Grand Cayman will be 69 miles south of the island at approximately 4:30am Thursday. The storm is expected to pass 112 miles south of Little Cayman around 1am and 117 miles south of Cayman Brac at midnight.

In its 4am update, the National Hurricane Center noted that wind shear was impacting the storm, causing some weakening of its intensity, which is expected to continue over the next 48 hours.

However, the NHC forecasters warned, “It should be emphasized that Beryl is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane as it passes near Jamaica in the next 12 hours, the Cayman Islands early on Thursday, and the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday.”

They said the storm was expected to bring “devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves”.

According to forecasters, hurricane-force winds are extending outward up to 45 miles from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 185 miles.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect across the Cayman Islands.

The government will hold a live press briefing about the storm at 2pm today.

Hurricane shelters

Hurricane shelters across the Cayman Islands will be opened in phases, starting from 9am this morning, the government has announced.

It will begin with the seven primary shelters located in each district, followed by additional sites across Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

”This strategic approach aims to ensure an organised and efficient response to potential emergencies,” the government said in a statement.

The timing and locations are as follows: