Nov 08 2008
Latest - Hurricane Paloma Hits Land -
Hurricane Paloma has made landfall as a category 3 hurricane bringing with it winds of over 140 mph and waves of 6-7 metres.
The Eye Of The Storm As Captured Earlier Today
Hurricane Paloma has made landfall on the south coast of the Cayman Islands this evening. It hit the Cayman Islands, in the Caribbean, as a category 3 hurricane, bringing with it winds of over 140 mph and waves of 6-7 metres. It is now travelling on a course across the Cayman Islands.
It is losing strength and is down to a category 2 hurricane now. After raging across the Cayman Islands, it will now make it’s way to Florida and then on to the Bahamas, at its present mapped course, losing strength as it goes.
Earlier Today
Arriving late in the Hurricane season, Hurricane Paloma is looking extremely dangerous. It is on a direct collision course for the low-lying, Caribbean, Cayman Islands. The hurricane is already category 4, with top sustained winds of almost 140 mph. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Centre in Miami states that Hurricane Paloma is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane in Cuba, late Saturday or early Sunday. Paloma will bring with it with maximum-sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Earlier in this year’s hurricane season, hurricanes Gustav and Ike have already slammed into Cuba, and collectively caused an estimated $9.4 billion in damage. Paloma started as a tropical depression but soon gathered strength in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, and today huge 3 meter waves lashed upon Cuban shores. Grand Cayman is a mainly unprotected, sea level island giving it little protection when hurricanes strike.
The Cayman Islands are actually made up of the peaks of a huge underwater ridge which stands 8,000 feet from the sea floor, called the Cayman Trench. Grand Cayman is one part of the Islands, the others being, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, and the islands lie south of Cuba and west of Jamaica in the centre of the Caribbean Sea.
Hurricane Paloma is heading towards the central-eastern city of Camaguey, which was the target for Hurricane Ike in September. Both Gustav and Ike caused a combined devastation to the tune of $9.4 billion and the crops of Cuba have been hard hit and a third of Cuba’s crops were ravaged, which has resulted in widespread shortages of fresh produce on the island.
People had been urged to evacuate and any remaining residents had been told to stay off ground and first floor dwellings. The airport was also closed Friday morning in preparation. Water service across Grand Cayman was turned off, and power would be cut off as the storm neared. Hazard management director Barbara Carby said. “We have asked everybody to come off the streets and to be home and safe right now,” she said.
The Cayman Islands is British territory with huge tourism interests. It is a major international financial centre and a tax-haven of dependent banking. The Cayman Islands have, however, unfortunately experienced the most hurricane strikes in history.
After striking the Cayman Islands, Forecasters expect Paloma to weaken into a tropical storm and then veer south of Florida through the Bahamas and into the Atlantic Ocean. –
Christianna Garrett-Martin
It’s terrible the devastation that hurricanes cause, at least it’s losing strength all the time now though which is good news for my parents on their cruise.
Thanks for the update, it was interesting and informative as always.