Hurricane Dean Update - Monday Morning

Last Dean Update

All danger from Hurricane Dean has passed for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Whooppee!!!!
First hand accounts from folks who did not evacuate Little Cayman (you know who you are) witnessed roaring surf and blowing winds but NO real damage anywhere on the island.

Come visit our beautiful island and stay at Condo del Sole, Little Cayman's most luxurious oceanfront accommodation. Located at Sunset Point on the westernmost tip of Little Cayman, Condo del Sole offers all the comforts of home with the most dramatic oceanfront views in the Caribbean.
Little Cayman - REMOTE CIVILIZED PARADISE
No worries! See you in Paradise.

August 20, 6:45am EDT Hurricane Dean Update

Hurricane?? What Hurricane??

The Sister Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac seem to have Dodged the Dreaded Dean. As of this update, Dean is more than 150 miles due south of Grand Cayman, causing wind gusts at Owen Roberts Airport of about 20 mph. On Stake Bay on Cayman Brac, wind speeds at this time are holding steady at about 5 mph with dry conditions.

August 19, 2007 - 8:15pm EDT
Hurricane Dean has made landfall along the southern tier of Jamaica. The full brunt of this Category 4 storm will be felt all along the southern coast and especially at Portland Point and the Long Bay area.
Later tonight and into tomorrow morning, Dean is expected to impact the Cayman Islands. Grand Cayman may experience hurricane force winds with possible significant wind and water damage, as tides may crest as high as 20 feet in some areas. Current projections call for the Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman to lie outside of the primary hurricane force cone and so may see less damage.
Early Sunday, Little Cayman was put under a mandatory evacuation order. Two dear friends have decided to stay at home on the island face down Dean. The hurricane doesn't have a chance against these good people. Good luck, you two! God be with you. Give 'em hell!

August 19, 2007
Keep hope alive!
As of the early Sunday computer models, Hurricane Dean continues to track south of the Cayman Islands, and particularly south of the Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. When Dean passes by the Caymans late Sunday/early Monday as a dangerous Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds over 145 mph, the Sisters may escape the full brunt of the hurricane force winds. Because Grand Cayman is farther south than the Sisters, it is more difficult to forecast whether the GC will be in the cone of hurricane force winds when Dean pays a call.
We'll update later today...

August 18, 2007
A Glimmer of Hope!
While still a dangerous Category 4/5 Hurricane with sustained winds over 150 mph, the latest computer tracking models from Wunderground Weather Service shows Dean tracking farther south than previous modeling. As of 5 PM on Saturday, Dean's projected path continues to trend farther south of Grand Cayman. If the trend holds, it seems likely that Grand Cayman will take a glancing blow instead of a direct hit and the Sister Islands will be even farther from the full fury of Dean. We'll know soon... Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, on the Brac, there are 3 good Hurricane shelters on that Island and 2 of these can withstand a direct hit from a Category 5. Of course, the amazing Caves in the Brac will also be available for protection from Dean, as they have been hurricane shelters for hundreds of years.
Late today, His Excellency, Governor Stuart Jack issued an order to evacuate Little Cayman

August 16, 2007
Well, it's that time of year again in the West Indies - HURRICANES!!!
The first named storm this year that is headed towards the Cayman Islands has now been upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Dean, with maximum sustained winds currently at 150 mph is expected to strengthen to a Category 5 as it heads towards the Cayman Islands. This is a true monster storm. If Dean continues on its current path, it should pass over the Caymans by late Sunday. Current computer projections of Dean's path indicates that the hurricane may pass south of the Cayman Islands.
Little Cayman was spared the brunt of the last major storm to hit in 2004, Hurricane Ivan. Ivan glanced off the Sister Islands with relatively minimal damage while Grand Cayman took a direct hit. With sustained winds of over 200 mph, Ivan leveled Grand Cayman with much of that island resembling a moonscape. Let's hope that Dean is more merciful. Here at Condo del Sole we just extended and reinforced our seawall and will have our hurricane shutters in place, so we should be just fine, although with a Category 5, all bets are off. We'll be updating through the weekend, so stay tuned...