Heavy rain and flooded roads brought chaos to the airport and parts of George Town on Saturday, 2 Aug., and the weather service warned there was more to come.
Flights were delayed after a deluge hit areas of the town, which caused flooding in and around the airport and traffic backups.
Aircraft circled in the sky above George Town as they waited to touch down and some roads around the terminal were under up to two feet of water.
The Cayman Islands National Weather Service issued a flood warning for parts of George Town and West Bay at about 1:30pm and said showers were expected to continue into the evening and early night. It said: “Approximately 3 inches of rain has fallen across portions of George Town. Another 1 – 2 inches are expected through this evening.”
The advisory added, “Showers may be heavy at times, reducing visibility. Please exercise caution when driving on all roadways.”
The Flight Tracker website showed three aircraft in holding patterns around the airport at about lunchtime.
A spokeswoman for the Airport Authority said, “Due to the weather conditions at the time, and out of an abundance of caution, it was determined that aircraft could not safely perform approaches or landings.
“Air traffic control ensured aircraft remained safely separated and issued holding patterns away from the most severe weather.”
She added, “Safety is always our top priority. While delaying flights or holding them in the air is never an easy decision, it is sometimes necessary due to weather patterns and ground conditions.”
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The problem with flooding in the area is the water has no where to drain. Deep wells are clogged and the swamps that were once there for drainage and filtration are now all filled. I read last week more pickle courts are needed to facilitate the growing sport. I do hope that the Planning Board members takes the flooding in the area into consideration when reviewing the request. Road ways are blocked during heavy rains, how does this affect emergency services?
The morning forecast was very misleading then.
With so much of our wetlands, including in the George Town area, being filled-in for Development, the water has no where to settle or drain when we have a rain downpour.
We need, URGENTLY, a National Stormwater Management and Drainage Plan. Calling the Hon. Jay Ebanks, Minister for Infrastructure, to please lead this project plan development ASAP.