A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck off the south coast of Grand Cayman on the morning of Tuesday 28 July, triggering a government emergency alert, prompting the evacuation of buildings and leading some residents to report feeling possible aftershocks.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at 8:42am Cayman time. It was centred about 44 kilometres south-southeast of Bodden Town at coordinates 18.889°N, 81.136°W and at a depth of 10 kilometres.
Three minutes later, at 8:45am, the government’s BlackBerry AtHoc emergency notification system issued an island-wide alert.
“The public is being advised that an earthquake has taken place. After shocks are possible. More information to follow,” the alert stated.
The AtHoc system is used to send emergency notifications directly to mobile phones, computers and email accounts, providing real-time warnings and public safety information during emergencies.
As the alert was issued, occupants in a number of buildings were evacuated as a precaution, while some residents reported feeling additional shaking shortly afterwards. Some said they experienced a single aftershock, while others reported several.
At 9:48am, Hazard Management Cayman Islands issued an all-clear through the AtHoc system, advising that the immediate response had concluded. The agency advised that while the main event had passed, aftershocks remained possible over the coming hours or days. Most aftershocks are smaller than the main quake, it said, although some may still be strong enough to be felt.
The quake follows a magnitude 5.1 earthquake recorded on 18 July about 93 miles south of George Town at a depth of approximately 6.2 miles. It was one of three earthquakes recorded near Cayman over the past year.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands advises anyone indoors during an earthquake to stay inside and take cover beneath a sturdy desk or table, in a reinforced doorway or in a corner until the shaking stops. People should then evacuate using stairs rather than elevators.
Those outdoors should move away from buildings, power lines, glass and other objects that could fall, while motorists should slow down carefully and stop in an area free of hazards before continuing once the shaking has ended.
Most earthquake injuries are caused not by the ground movement itself but by collapsing structures, falling debris, broken glass, overturned furniture, fires caused by damaged utility lines and traffic accidents, Hazard Management said.
No tsunami warning or advisory was issued following the earthquake. In its all-clear message, Hazard Management Cayman Islands said, “There is no tsunami threat associated with this earthquake and no significant impacts have been reported at this time.”
Residents and visitors are encouraged to download Hazard Management Cayman Islands’ free AtHoc app to receive real-time emergency alerts during earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis and other major incidents. Part of the National Emergency Notification System (NENS), the app delivers critical public safety information by email, text or both. To register, visit nens.gov.ky, then download the AtHoc app and enter the organisation code HMCI. More earthquake preparedness information is available at caymanprepared.ky/earthquake.
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