Topic: Hurricane
Beep, beep: Would-be soldiers race against the clock
Potential new recruits for the Cayman Islands Regiment underwent a battery of fitness tests and interviews as the military force selected its next batch of rookie soldiers
Cruise companies pledge US$3M to help storm-torn Jamaica
Three of the world’s largest cruise companies have pledged US$3 million to help Jamaica rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.
Jamaica embarks on a national cleanup campaign after hurricane
The Jamaican government has announced a national campaign to clean up the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa across western and central Jamaica.
Aid reaches remote parts of Jamaica but fears rise over waterborne diseases
Crucial supplies are being distributed across Jamaica with aid finally reaching the worst-affected areas several days after Hurricane Melissa devastated large parts of the island.
More than 25,000 in shelters as Jamaica assesses devastation of Melissa
Nearly half a million people were left without power and thousands of people are in emergency shelters after Jamaica was hit by one of the worse storms in its history.
Hurricane Melissa risk reduced for Cayman, but not gone
The risk posed by Hurricane Melissa to the Cayman Islands has fallen, according to the Cayman Islands National Weather Service.
Tropical Storm Melissa strengthening but forecast to spare Cayman
Cayman's National Weather Service continues to urge caution and vigilance with Melissa forecast to strengthen into a large and powerful major hurricane.
Hospitality industry keeps a close eye on Tropical Storm Melissa
The hospitality industry is adopting a "wait and see" state of readiness until the path of Melissa becomes clearer, with decisions expected to be taken over the weekend if the forecast worsens.
Melissa’s path uncertain, but Cayman prepares for possible hurricane
Melissa is forecast to become a large and powerful major hurricane.
Experts say rare Atlantic Niña unlikely to dampen hurricane season
A rare Atlantic Niña that has developed in the tropics is not likely to impact predicted hurricane activity in the coming weeks.
2025 Atlantic storm names
The World Meteorological Organization is responsible for naming Atlantic storms and hurricanes, using a rotating list of names that are recycled every six years.
Above-average hurricane season is forecast
Colorado State University has predicted a higher-than-average hurricane season for 2025.
Analysis: Why is Cayman facing this late-season hurricane?
Some of Cayman’s most devastating hurricanes impacts have occurred in November, the last official month of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Storm shoppers face long lines, debit card and ATM outages
Shoppers faced long waits and frustration at the tills Monday as a telecoms outage impacted efforts to stock up on supplies ahead of Tropical Storm Rafael.
Seven Mile Beach residents begin to bag sand and secure shutters
Property owners put up shutters and filled sand bags to protect Seven Mile properties, where the sand has already eroded.
Hurricane Helene could become a record breaker
Helene may break records for being the fastest system in history to go from a being a tropical disturbance to a major hurricane.
The issue explained: How we dodged Beryl’s bullet and why we can’t be complacent
The Cayman Compass goes inside the 'cone of uncertainty' to explain how we survived a near miss with Hurricane Beryl and analyse the threats that lie ahead in what promises to be an active and dangerous storm season.
Battered but not beaten, Cayman survives brush with Hurricane Beryl
A rare, powerful early season storm, Hurricane Beryl, skirted the Cayman Islands, Thursday, bringing heavy rain and storm surge that caused pockets of serious damage but left the bulk of the territory largely unscathed.
Region in storm recovery mode following passage of Hurricane Beryl
While the Cayman Islands have been spared the worst of Hurricane Beryl, parts of the Caribbean are now in recovery mode after being devastated by the storm, which has claimed at least 10 lives across the region.
Premier warns against looting in Cayman during and after Hurricane Beryl
Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly has warned that police will not tolerate incidents of looting while Cayman's population is hunkered down for the impending Hurricane Beryl.
As hurricanes intensify, scientists suggest adding a Category 6
With the intensity and frequency of hurricanes increasing, one group of scientists is suggesting that the current most commonly used storm-strength scale, which tops out at Category 5, should go up to 6.
Hurricane Lee now a Category 2 storm
Hurricane Lee – which poses no threat to the Cayman Islands – has dropped in intensity to a Category 2 storm after briefly peaking at Category 5 on Friday, 8 Sept., and again on Saturday.
Newly formed Hurricane Lee expected to strengthen
After rapidly intensifying from a tropical wave to a tropical storm and now to a hurricane, Lee continues to gain momentum, with regional and local forecasters warning this storm is likely to become a major hurricane in fewer than 48 hours.
Residents relying on prayer over hurricane stockpiling
Despite warnings of an above-average storm season in Cayman, people are increasingly reluctant to spend money on stockpiling supplies amid a cost-of-living crisis, according to an informal Compass poll.
RAF Globemaster touches down in Cayman
The UK Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster stopped in Cayman this week, in a display of the capability of the plane to provide hurricane season support to the region.
Tropical storm Bret expected to strengthen to hurricane
A tropical storm which has formed in the Atlantic Ocean is forecast to become the first hurricane of the season within the next few days.
Atlantic cyclone likely to form in next 48 hours
A disturbance in the eastern Atlantic Ocean has a 90% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Cayman prepares: Navy ship on way as leaders prep for Tropical Storm Ian
Premier Wayne Panton urged Cayman Islands residents to finalise their storm plans as a Royal Navy ship headed for the territory to provide support, following the issuing of a a hurricane alert on Friday.
Schools closing early as Cayman prepares for storm
All government schools will close today at 3pm, the Ministry of Education has announced.
2020 in Photos
Let us take you on a photographic journey of a challenging 2020.
Paulette expected to hit Bermuda as a hurricane
Tropical Storm Paulette is expected to hit Bermuda as a category 2 hurricane at around 6 am on Monday morning. A hurricane warning has been issued for the island.
Increased storm activity forecast through mid-September
Tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic basin is forecast to be above average during the first half of September, according to researchers with the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project.
Stronger, slower storms linked to climate change
While the link between climate change and hurricane intensity is not yet ‘settled science’, weather experts say there is evidence that the phenomenon will lead to stronger, slower storms in future.
On heels of Dorian, homeowners urged to update insurance policies
Homeowners should regularly update their home insurance policies to ensure they are adequately covered should a hurricane or other natural disaster strike, according to Island Heritage Insurance Company Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer Evelyn Tibbetts-Farrar.
Cayman readies relief effort in wake of Hurricane Dorian
Even as Hurricane Dorian continued to wreak havoc in the Bahamas Monday, relief efforts were already getting under way.
Update: Tropical Storm Dorian poses no threat to Cayman
A tropical depression nearing the Caribbean is forecast to reach hurricane status in coming days. The storm currently poses no threat to the Cayman Islands.
Weather experts: Sahara dust diminishing cyclone activity
Movement of dry air and dust from the Sahara desert is keeping the Caribbean hurricane season at bay – for now.
Hurricane activity forecast to increase in coming months
Forecasters are predicting a more active end to what has been a relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season.
Pet-friendly hurricane shelters could save human lives
The first pet-friendly hurricane shelters will open their doors to Cayman Islands residents in the event of a storm this summer.
British Navy lands at Governors Beach
The British Navy landed at Seven Mile Beach on Friday morning.
Joint UK/Cayman hurricane exercise
Simulating a response to a major hurricane strike on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, teams from the Governor’s Office, Hazard Management Cayman Islands, the Royal Cayman Islnds Police Service, 911 and the Government Communications Service took part this week in a joint training exercise with counterparts from the UK and the British High Commission in Kingston.
Red Cross volunteers prepare for hurricane season
Nearly 100 volunteers gathered to hear of the potential tasks ahead of them and the preparations they should be making at the Cayman Islands Red Cross’s pre-hurricane meeting.
Forecasters increase storm season outlook
Forecasting for the Atlantic hurricane season has increased slightly, with meteorologists at Colorado State University predicting six hurricanes, up from their previous forecast in April of five.
Public statement: Hurricanes — prepare for the worst and pray for the best
Each year as I prepare to work on this annual Hurricane message to you I do so with a certain amount of trepidation because as I put pen to paper, none of us knows what this hurricane season is going to bring.
Potential cyclone in southwest Gulf
Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center are watching a low-pressure system off the coast of Mexico, giving it a 60% chance to develop into a tropical cyclone over the next several days.
Update: Tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Isaac
The southeastern Caribbean went on alert Tuesday, as the first hurricane and tropical storm watches were issued for Isaac.
Rainy weather soaks Cayman
As the 14th anniversary of Hurricane Ivan arrives, Cayman and its Caribbean neighbors are eying three hurricanes – Florence, Isaac and Helene – that are moving through the Atlantic.
Florence becomes a hurricane, takes aim at US Southeast
Tropical Storm Florence turned into a hurricane Sunday morning and swirled toward the U.S. for what forecasters said could be a direct hit on the Southeast toward the end of the week.
Two-time hurricane evacuee, cancer survivor heads home
Audrey Rogers spent nine months on an unexpected whirlwind tour after Hurricane Irma devastated Anguilla in the eastern Caribbean last September. The 87-year-old eventually ended up in the Cayman Islands.
Red Cross stages annual pre-hurricane meeting
The Cayman Islands Red Cross recently gathered 100 volunteers to take part in the annual pre-hurricane meeting.
First named storm of season forms
Subtropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the year, has formed near the Yucatan Peninsula.
EDITORIAL – Hurricane season: Plan early to ensure safety
There is no way of predicting if, where or when severe weather will strike Cayman, but forewarned is forearmed.
Hurricane shelter volunteers wanted
The Department of Children and Family Services and Hazard Management Cayman Islands are inviting people to sign up as hurricane shelter volunteers for the 2018 hurricane season.
National Weather Service: 2018 hurricane season prediction
As we approach the onset of the 2018 hurricane season, we pause to take time to look back at the 2017 hurricane season before looking at the 2018 prediction.
Forecast: Hurricane season slightly above average
Following last year’s devastating series of storms, Colorado State University weather experts are predicting a slightly above-average hurricane season for 2018.
BVI governor calls for return of Irma evacuees
Financial services workers who were evacuated from the British Virgin Islands after last September’s hurricanes should return there by the end of March, BVI Governor Gus Jaspert said last week during his Speech from the Throne.
Despite hurricanes, Caribbean economies grew in 2017
Gross domestic product in the Caribbean grew by 0.6 percent last year despite being impacted by some of the strongest hurricanes in the region’s history, and is projected to grow by 2 percent this year, according to recently released statistics from the Caribbean Development Bank.
International aid rules limit UK’s disaster relief to its territories
Rules governing international aid targets that prevented the U.K. from spending its foreign development aid budget on hurricane-hit territories in the Caribbean are being reviewed.
Record 2.1 million tourists visited Cayman in 2017
A record number of tourists arrived in the Cayman Islands in 2017, with just over 2.1 million people arriving on these shores by air and sea.
Final RCIPS cohort returning from British Virgin Islands
The final six Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers who assisted with security efforts in the British Virgin Islands post Hurricane Irma are set to come home next week.
Jobs bank opened for hurricane-stricken tourism workers
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association has created a “jobs bank” to assist industry workers from hurricane-impacted areas to find jobs around the region.
Cayman’s most memorable photos of 2017
From hurricane hunting to a visiting boxing legend to soca on the streets of George Town, Cayman experienced another colorful, eventful year.
Help for hurricane survivors
The Wellness Centre is offering a free one-hour workshop at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, for families displaced by recent hurricanes.
Squash Club raises funds for Hurricane Irma relief
The South Sound Squash Club recently held fundraisers on Nov. 6 and 7 in order to aid in the repair of squash courts in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, which were heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma.
Life after the storm, a child’s story
Dauria Wattley, a 12-year-old British Virgin Islands evacuee staying in Frank Sound and attending Triple C school in George Town, knows well the effects of a hurricane after seeing her hometown in British Virgin Islands battered first by Hurricane Irma and then by Hurricane Maria.
Rebuilding Puerto Rico
The first order of business must be getting people out of harm's way and providing life's essentials. But there also is a need for a sound, long-term rebuilding and economic plan.
British Virgin Islands looks like ‘a large bomb’ went off
A continued foreign police and military presence will be maintained in the British Virgin Islands, including a contingent of Cayman Islands police officers, Cayman Islands Governor’s Office Chief of Staff Matthew Forbes told the Cayman Compass on his return from a two-week foreign office mission in the BVI.
A stunned Puerto Rico seeks to rebuild after Hurricane Maria
Rescuers fanned out to reach stunned victims Thursday after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, knocking out electricity to the entire island and triggering landslides and floods.
Maria knocks out all power across Puerto Rico
The strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years tore off roofs and doors, knocked out power across the entire island and unleashed heavy flooding Wednesday in an onslaught that could plunge the U.S. territory deeper into financial crisis.
Rahn: Prudence must guide disaster responses and adaptations
Life is all about accessing the probabilities of the risks and costs and benefits of alternative courses of action.
Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico after slamming Dominica
Dominica’s leader sent out an emotional call for help as Category 5 Hurricane Maria smashed into the Caribbean island, causing “mind-boggling” devastation, but an ominous silence followed as the island lost all communications on Tuesday and the hurricane took aim at Puerto Rico.
UPDATE: Hurricane Maria smashes Dominica, now menaces Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria smashed into Dominica with 160 mph winds, ripping the roof off even the prime minister's residence and causing what he called "mind-boggling" devastation Tuesday.
