ATL: PALOMA Aftermath in the Caymans and Cuba

Discuss the recovery and aftermath of landfalling hurricanes. Please be sensitive to those that have been directly impacted. Political threads will be deleted without notice. This is the place to come together not divide.

Moderator: S2k Moderators

Message
Author
User avatar
Crostorm
Category 5
Category 5
Posts: 2060
Age: 49
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2006 3:51 pm
Location: Croatia-Europe
Contact:

Re: ATL: PALOMA=Obs,Preps,Web Cams=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#41 Postby Crostorm » Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:55 am

Busy day in the Cayman Islands

* From: "Chris McTaggart" <cmctagga at candw.ky>
* Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2008 01:30:42 -0500

Good evening SC Family and Friends,



As promised I would update on this day after I got off work…here I am, late, but I had to have a nap!

Busy day it was indeed and certainly as you can imagine lots of information and talk about the event we experienced. The biggest talk of course was about the devastation that was still taking place on the Sister Islands even when we were starting a day’s work. I will elaborate further on…..

The office day started with a regrouping to discuss the startup operation which went very well and was more importantly implemented very smoothly. We got our aircraft back to home base all at around 4:00 pm and then continued to operate flights to Miami and Jamaica to stabilize the service from yesterdays unplanned cancellations. To summarize, everything ran and continuing to run smoothly through the planned longer than usual night operation.

Our Twin Otter which services the daily inter-island service returned back to Cayman around 3:30 pm and was dispatched to Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Due to the fact that there is no power in Cayman Brac, the stop in Little Cayman first was to pick up the standby runway lights (used in Little Cayman only for emergency operations at night) so that the aircraft could do flights later in this evening into Brac. First and second flight piloted by Captain Harrison Bothwell, carried essential workers, government personnel, and the most important items needed. A third flight was setup but I am not sure if it operated as before I went to nap I got reports that rain showers were approaching the Brac area which would add difficulty to the operation. Thanks goes out to the entire Cayman Airways Express Team led by Manager Captain Johan Bjuroe for an immediate and smooth implementation for the much needed relief flights to the Sister Islands. A full days Express Operation to is scheduled to continue tomorrow. Mainline Cayman Airways is set to resume full normal published schedule flying as well.

Now this email post could get so long I am going to have to summarize a lot of the reports:

LITTLE CAYMAN – As weird as it may sound and as close as the Sister Islands are to one another, Little Cayman feared much better than Cayman Brac and that is based on reports from actual persons on both islands. Just like the Brac, Little Cayman’s main damage was along the north coast area. The north coast had 90% of the electrical poles and lines flattened and heavy vegetation damage. I am told that there was damage to some homes on the north coastline but I have not heard of any catastrophic damage. The south coast experienced one home totally destroyed and others minor damage, some light poles and of course vegetation as well and the resorts which are all in this area reported no damage. This was quite obvious when resorts in Little Cayman called to find advise that their tourist occupants wanted to know if they could continue their vacation without having a problem getting out on their booked flight later in the week. I guess some of our Little Cayman posters will be able to post later and advise more details on specific and individual damage observed as it does take days to evaluate and recognize it all.

CAYMAN BRAC – I can only begin this report by repeating the words of many from the Brac this morning “Paloma did Cayman Brac what Ivan did to Grand Cayman and probably worse”. The reports of the Brac poured in all day, from personal phone calls to me from persons in the Brac that earlier on in the day had been reading my posts on SC on what was happening in Grand Cayman, to friends, family of friends, and my own airline employees who work and live there. I can only tell you folks it is very hard to describe in words what was told to me, typing it all would take hours, and the word “Devastation” would be repeated over and over again. I have been told many times today by many Brac residents that 90% of the structures in Cayman Brac were heavily damaged, and in some cases demolished. When I reported earlier this morning that the Seaman’s Center roof was blown off I did not realize that there were actually people inside and it was being used as a shelter. Later this morning this was confirmed to me and also learnt that some individuals were injured as a result, but minor. The Aston Rutty Center, another shelter, along with the West End School also did receive some roof and other damage as well. The airport terminal received a lot of damage as well and all the communication and weather equipment for the operation of the Control Tower which is housed on the top of the cab was all blown away. All runway wind instruments and wind socks are nonexistent. The runway conditions this morning relative to water, as it does have a pond which parallels its south side, beginning at the western end had water from its south edge inward to the centerline about a foot deep, for approximately 2000 feet. In addition, for the remaining distance, water a couple inches deep, covered the runways south edge inward about 15 feet. This water mainly came from an overflowing pond but to complicate the matter, the special runway drainage port to the sea was blocked from actually draining due to the heavy seas crashing on the shoreline. For those of you not familiar, the airport is located on the extreme western end of Cayman Brac, and the runway begins just 50 feet in from the water’s edge. The water was one issue, but the entire runway was filled with debris ranging from construction wood, roofing shingles, lots of roofing nails, and other materials. Every apron flood light pole had snapped off and were all over the entire area in front of the terminal. Public workers worked diligently, after it was safe, to move all the poles from the apron area and cleared the first 3500 feet of the eastern end of the runway of all debris for the preparation of the first Twin Otter aircraft arrival this evening. I understand that workers will be cleaning out the drain port at the end of the runway tomorrow which will allow the standing water to recede from the runway quickly and the pond to return to a normal level. Jet operation into Cayman Brac is not going to take place or be possible until full cleanup of the runway and ramp is completed, and the authorities give the okay. I realize this is getting long so I will stop here for now as I am sure other posters will add more information too, especially on specific topics.

MISC – I had so many calls from overseas today requesting information on specific locations and I did promise to find out what I could, but unfortunately 2 callers showed up as “Unknown Number” so I was unable to call them back when I got the information. Hopefully they will see this post next time they visit the site.

Grand Cayman – (1) Kaibo Area – There is no reported damage from this area or the surrounding Rum Point and Sand Point areas. (2) South Sound – Again no damage reported in this area except for vegetation and no there was no storm surge or flooding issues.



I must close this post now, but before I go I must make important mention in reference to the devastation in Cayman Brac in particular, just like after Ivan, the importance of our National Airline has once again proven itself to its country and people. Yes it does have a price for its security, but each and every local and resident should be proud to sing out “We need it, we love it, we support it, we benefit from it, our country deserves it, so we shall always protect it”…..Cayman Airways!! Sir Turtle you are Caymanian pride, and I had to add this paragraph of recognition for you, me, and the rest of our airline family.



Good Night SC Family and friends, and please pray for the recovery, comfort, and safety of our Sister Islands residents.

Warmest regards,

Chris



http://stormcarib.com/
0 likes   

User avatar
Crostorm
Category 5
Category 5
Posts: 2060
Age: 49
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2006 3:51 pm
Location: Croatia-Europe
Contact:

Re: ATL: PALOMA=Obs,Preps,Web Cams=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#42 Postby Crostorm » Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:20 am

Paloma becomes Category 1 over storm-weary Cuba



CAMAGUEY, Cuba – A ferocious Hurricane Paloma roared across Cuba on Sunday, downing power lines, flooding the coast and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate on an island still recovering from two other devastating storms.

Early reports of damage were limited, but Cuban state media said the late-season storm toppled a major communications tower on the southern coast, interrupted electricity and phone service, and sent sea surges of up to 700 meters along the coast.

Paloma made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur late Saturday as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, but soon weakened to a Category 1 storm with winds of 85 mph (140 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters warned that even though the hurricane had lost its intensity, it could still produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.

The storm was expected to continue to lose strength even as it moved across Cuba and headed toward the central Bahamas on Monday morning. The storm was not expected to threaten the southern tip of Florida.

In the central-eastern Cuban province of Camaguey, more than 220,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas. Another 170,000 people were moved in the eastern province of Las Tunas.

Cuba regularly relocates masses of people to higher ground ahead of tropical storms and hurricanes, preventing major losses of life.

In the city of Camaguey, 79-year-old Rosa Perez waited out the storm at a government shelter with her 83-year-old husband and about 900 others from the town of Santa Cruz del Sur.

Perez was a toddler when she watched as her mother, older sister and about 40 other relatives were swept away in a storm surge during a 1932 hurricane that killed about 3,000 people.

"We're just waiting to see what happens to our home and our beach," she said.

Fellow Santa Cruz del Sur resident Aida Perez, who is not related, watched the news with her daughters, ages 19 and 10.

"This is a really hard blow," the 44-year-old said. She was certain they would lose their home and everything in it. "What's important is that we are alive."

Outside on the nearly deserted, flooded streets, four men struggled in pouring rain to carry a refrigerator to a more secure building.

At 1 a.m. EST Sunday, Paloma was located about 25 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Camaguey. Once packing winds of 145 mph, the storm had slowed over land and was moving northeast at about 5 mph (7 kph).

Hurricane force winds reached up to 30 miles (45 km) from the storm's center and 5 to 10 inches of rainfall was predicted in central and eastern Cuba, with isolated totals of 20 inches possible.

In an essay published in state media Saturday, former President Fidel Castro warned that Paloma could slow Cuba's recovery from hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which hit in late August and September causing about $9.4 billion in damage and destroying nearly a third of the island's crops.

The hurricane center said Paloma could bring parts of the island battering waves and a life-threatening storm surge of up to 23 feet (7 meters).

Elsewhere, Paloma knocked out power across much of Grand Cayman island, downing trees, flooding low-lying areas and ripping off roofs. But residents appeared unscathed as businesses reopened and electricity and water service were restored Saturday.

Donovan Ebanks, chairman of the Hazard Management Committee, said no injuries were reported.

"There has been minimal, if any, damage on Grand Cayman," Ebanks said.

Paloma's fierce winds ripped the roofs off some buildings on Cayman Brac, to the east.

___

Associated Press writers Anita Snow in Havana and Trent Jacobs in George Town, Cayman Islands, contributed to this report.
0 likes   

User avatar
cycloneye
Admin
Admin
Posts: 138789
Age: 67
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 10:54 am
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Re: ATL: PALOMA=Obs,Preps,Web Cams=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#43 Postby cycloneye » Sun Nov 09, 2008 2:51 pm

The reports comming out from Cuba indicate extensive damage but no deaths reported.

http://www.elnuevodia.com/diario/notici ... ___/487246
0 likes   

User avatar
HURAKAN
Professional-Met
Professional-Met
Posts: 46086
Age: 37
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 4:34 pm
Location: Key West, FL
Contact:

Re: ATL: PALOMA=Obs,Preps,Web Cams=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#44 Postby HURAKAN » Sun Nov 09, 2008 3:12 pm

Paloma destroys hundreds of homes in Cuba

By ANNE-MARIE GARCIA

CAMAGUEY, Cuba - Crashing waves and a powerful sea surge from Hurricane Paloma destroyed hundreds of homes in Cuba, the government said Sunday as the cyclone weakened into a tropical storm.

On an island still reeling from the destruction of two recent hurricanes, early damage reports were limited. But state media said the late-season storm toppled a major communications tower, interrupted electricity and phone service and sent sea water almost a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, ravaging a coastal community near where it made landfall

No storm-related deaths were immediately reported.

Vicente de la O of Cuba's national power company told state television that damage to the power grid was far less than that caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike in late August and early September.

Paloma roared ashore near Santa Cruz del Sur late Saturday as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane but quickly lost strength, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters said the Cuban and Bahamian governments discontinued all warnings associated with Paloma by Sunday morning.

Waves more than 10 feet (3 meters) high leveled about 50 modest houses along the coast of Santa Cruz del Sur. Civil Defense authorities said altogether 435 homes in the community were destroyed.

Javier Ramos told The Associated Press he rebuilt his simple wood-frame house in the town after Hurricane Ike, only to watch Paloma flatten it again.

"At least we're alive, but my wife hasn't seen this yet," Ramos said as he scavenged bits of clothing and smashed dishes in his front yard. "I don't know how she's going to react. It's going to be terrible."

Elsewhere in town, Angel Betancourt was skinning a drowned goat. "The water was up to a meter high and the goat drowned," he said. "What else can we do? We're going to eat it."

Touring Santa Cruz del Sur on Sunday, Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura said the area was among the hardest-hit nationwide.

In the nearby community of Jagua, Herienso Rondon, a 50-year-old retired day laborer, said he was still trying to repair damage from Ike when Paloma tore away his wooden house's roof and pulverized the belongings inside, including a meager bed and mattress.

"I don't have any hope," he said. "After Hurricane Ike (government officials) came to visit me and said they had no way to help and I had to buy the wood for repairs.

"I have no money," said Rondon, who gets a monthly pension of 158 pesos, about $7.50.

Paloma steadily lost strength as it meandered across Cuba on Sunday and was expected to reach the central Bahamas as a weak area of low pressure Monday morning. The storm was expected to unravel and not threaten the southern tip of Florida.

Across central and eastern Cuba, more than 500,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas as Paloma approached. Cuba regularly moves people en masse to higher ground before tropical storms and hurricanes, preventing major loss of life.

In the city of Camaguey, 79-year-old Rosa Perez waited out the storm at a government shelter with her 83-year-old husband and about 900 others from Santa Cruz del Sur.

Perez was a toddler when she watched as her mother, older sister and about 40 other relatives were swept away in a storm surge during a 1932 hurricane that killed about 3,000 people.

"We're just waiting to see what happens to our home and our beach," she said.

At 1500 GMT (10 a.m. EST) Sunday, Paloma's center was near Camaguey. Once as strong as 145 mph (230 kph), the storm's winds had weakened to 60 mph (95 kph). Paloma was drifting northeast at about 2 mph (4 kph).

In an essay published in state media Saturday, former President Fidel Castro warned that Paloma could slow Cuba's recovery from Gustav and Ike, which caused about $9.4 billion in damage and destroyed nearly a third of the island's crops.

Earlier, Paloma downed trees, flooded low-lying areas and damaged roofs in the Cayman Islands. But residents there appeared to weather the hurricane unscathed. ___

Associated Press writer Anita Snow contributed to this report from Havana.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)
0 likes   

User avatar
Crostorm
Category 5
Category 5
Posts: 2060
Age: 49
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2006 3:51 pm
Location: Croatia-Europe
Contact:

#45 Postby Crostorm » Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:53 pm

Brac Cayman damage pictures(heavy file)

http://stormcarib.com/reports/current/cayman.shtml
0 likes   

User avatar
HURAKAN
Professional-Met
Professional-Met
Posts: 46086
Age: 37
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 4:34 pm
Location: Key West, FL
Contact:

#46 Postby HURAKAN » Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:56 pm

Wow, there is not a home or business that didn't suffer some kind of damage.
0 likes   

User avatar
cycloneye
Admin
Admin
Posts: 138789
Age: 67
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 10:54 am
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Re: ATL: PALOMA Aftermath=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#47 Postby cycloneye » Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:23 pm

Pics of the damage in Cayman Brac.

Image

Image

Image

Image
0 likes   

User avatar
Tampa Bay Hurricane
Category 5
Category 5
Posts: 5594
Age: 36
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:54 pm
Location: St. Petersburg, FL

#48 Postby Tampa Bay Hurricane » Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:34 pm

category 3-4 damage looks like
0 likes   

User avatar
cycloneye
Admin
Admin
Posts: 138789
Age: 67
Joined: Thu Oct 10, 2002 10:54 am
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Re: ATL: PALOMA Aftermath in the Caymans and Cuba

#49 Postby cycloneye » Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:43 pm

Note=This thread will be moved to the Hurricane Recovery and Aftermath forum on Monday around 3 PM EST.
0 likes   

User avatar
caribepr
Category 5
Category 5
Posts: 1794
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 10:43 pm
Location: Culebra, PR 18.33 65.33

Re: ATL: PALOMA Aftermath=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#50 Postby caribepr » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:12 pm

cycloneye wrote:Pics of the damage in Cayman Brac.

Image

Image

Image

Image


thanks Luis...and the reaction is...next :( sigh.
0 likes   

User avatar
Gustywind
Category 5
Category 5
Posts: 12334
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:29 am
Location: Baie-Mahault, GUADELOUPE

Re: ATL: PALOMA Aftermath=Caymans,Cuba,Bahamas

#51 Postby Gustywind » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:23 pm

caribepr wrote:
cycloneye wrote:Pics of the damage in Cayman Brac.

Image

Image

Image

Image


thanks Luis...and the reaction is...next :( sigh.

Tkanks too Luis, Damn it's amazing and pretty sad at all :cry: :cry: but keep the faith hopiness give energy to improve i believe... :) :D
0 likes   


Return to “Hurricane Recovery and Aftermath”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests