(CMR) Two hurricane storm surge sensors were installed in Grand Cayman last week as part of the United States Agency for International Development’s Caribbean-wide program that helps to advance early warning of storm surge and strengthens preparedness.
The first two sensors were installed at the George Town harbor and the Coast Guard facility in the North Sound. The Cayman Islands National Weather Service and Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) collaborated on the planning and logistics to make the deployment successful.
Both sensors measure the water level and sea level height, while the equipment at the North Sound station includes wind speed and wind direction. The sensors will be used to collect a variety of information, such as rainfall flooding, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, ultraviolet radiation, and soil moisture. It is expected that the data will be available to the Government and members of the public to utilize in decision-making.
A larger network of sensors will be installed across all three Islands if the program is successful.
Assistant Director of the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research, Dr. Paul Kucera, who led the installations and provided training for local personnel, said the observations from the sensors will “improve storm surge prediction and early warning for hurricanes.”
Public awareness, Communications and Training Officer with the HMCI, Simon Boxall, said that the sensors are part of a wider program to enhance preparedness.
“The more data and understanding about what actually happens in tropical cyclones and hurricanes, the better we are able to inform the public. These sensors will be collecting very accurate, high-level data, which will enable us to inform the public even better when the next event comes,” Boxall said.
Another important stream of work that is taking place to increase public safety and support decision-making is the production of the Cayman Islands storm surge model, which is being developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Center Storm Surge Unit. This is expected to be finalized during the latter part of next year. The modeling will assist with precise storm surge and wave impact predictions for the Islands.
Grand Cayman is currently one of only two islands in the Caribbean region with the capacity to collect storm surge data, which can be crucial to issuing early warnings. Storm surge is considered one of the most significant hazard threats in the Cayman Islands.
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