Thursday, June 29, 2006

Senior Manager of the Met Services of the Cayman Islands, Fred Sambula

AS nationals get ready to observe the second anniversary of one of its most destructive storms, the Met Office disclosed that the Cayman Islands is likely to face a hurricane every year.

In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan caused destruction of properties, severe flooding and countless animals died on Grand Cayman - the largest of the three Islands.

Three months shy of the anniversary comes word from the Met Office that the Islands could be affected by four hurricanes every five years given the current weather predictions.

At a recent disaster preparation workshop in Grand Cayman, the weather experts said that they could not predict for sure if or when a storm would hit any of the Islands.

Participants at the recent workshop were introduced to a new storm surge monitoring equipment specifically suited to the low-lying British territory.

Senior Manager of the Met Office Fred Sambula said the new model is a superior device, which needed less data to forecast storm surges, high winds and waves.

The Arbiter of Storm (TAOS) was designed for Cayman and comes at a time when communities such as Savannah and Prospect struggle to find ways to stay afloat from floods.

The TAOS was unveiled to the local Met Office scientists Horace Burton and Selvin Burton of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology in Barbados at the workshop.   

Property damage has been a source of concern for many residents and businesses, leaving the weather experts to classify the equipment as an important tool in minimising losses.

Last year, the Islands felt the effect of Hurricane Emily and Hurricane Wilma, which passed many miles away.

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