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CNN Live At Daybreak
Hurricane Lili Slams Cayman Islands
Aired October 01, 2002 - 06:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now we want to head up to the weather center to check in with Chad who is watching Lili with eagle eyes.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
Yes, and right now over the Isle of Youth, Cuba, it's the large island right there south of Havana, it's getting some squally weather now in Havana. We've been able to pick up the Key West radar and see the eye wall now right on top of the Isle of Youth.
But on the phone from the Cayman Islands, here's Cayman Brac, Little Cayman and also Grand Cayman here, is the chairman of the National Hurricane Committee for the Cayman Islands, Donovan Ebanks on the phone with us live this morning.
Tell me a little bit about Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, how did they survive and how did they get through Lili last night?
DONOVAN EBANKS, CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL HURRICANE COMMITTEE: Well, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have seen a direct hit from Lili...
MYERS: Yes, they did.
EBANKS: ... late yesterday morning as a minor category one hurricane, and they survived extremely well. Our reports are that there's been less than a dozen buildings that have suffered...
MYERS: I'll bet (ph).
EBANKS: ... some roof covering damage. There's been no structural damage. As of late yesterday evening, power had been restored to about 80 percent of residents, all the residents on the north coast of Cayman Brac and to the hotels on Cayman Brac. And power was not disrupted on Little Cayman.
MYERS: Now most...
EBANKS: Absolutely no injuries.
MYERS: Good.
EBANKS: And so they've survived extremely well.
MYERS: Most Americans know Grand Cayman as the island of the Cayman Islands, not even realizing that the two islands here are part of your nation as well. How did Grand Cayman itself, Seven Mile Beach, the Turtle Farm, how did all that area how did that take the storm?
EBANKS: Well the storm passed within about 60 miles of us late yesterday evening last night and we've had no damaged areas. We had -- experienced rainfall. We had some winds of probably up to about 35 miles an hour last night...
MYERS: Oh.
EBANKS: ... and this morning we have winds about 15 to 20 miles an hour. And we're still having some rain, but there's been absolutely no damage or disruption on Grand Cayman. Everything's normal. Our flights were normal yesterday and flights will be normal in and out of Grand Cayman again today.
MYERS: That's great. Mr. Ebanks, thank you very much for waking up early with us this morning and being on the phone live with us.
EBANKS: My pleasure.
MYERS: And great news for the folks there.
Obviously, you heard the two islands he was talking about that did have the direct hit from the category one, the two islands right there, and Grand Cayman, the largest island here.
This storm, though, Carol, is going to go across the western tip of Cuba, into the Gulf of Mexico and get much larger as it heads to the western side of Louisiana or Eastern Texas. And that's obviously going to happen during the day on Thursday. More on that in about 13 minutes. Stay with us.
COSTELLO: OK, thank you very much -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome, Carol.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 1, 2002 - 06:40 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now we want to head up to the weather center to check in with Chad who is watching Lili with eagle eyes.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
Yes, and right now over the Isle of Youth, Cuba, it's the large island right there south of Havana, it's getting some squally weather now in Havana. We've been able to pick up the Key West radar and see the eye wall now right on top of the Isle of Youth.
But on the phone from the Cayman Islands, here's Cayman Brac, Little Cayman and also Grand Cayman here, is the chairman of the National Hurricane Committee for the Cayman Islands, Donovan Ebanks on the phone with us live this morning.
Tell me a little bit about Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, how did they survive and how did they get through Lili last night?
DONOVAN EBANKS, CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL HURRICANE COMMITTEE: Well, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have seen a direct hit from Lili...
MYERS: Yes, they did.
EBANKS: ... late yesterday morning as a minor category one hurricane, and they survived extremely well. Our reports are that there's been less than a dozen buildings that have suffered...
MYERS: I'll bet (ph).
EBANKS: ... some roof covering damage. There's been no structural damage. As of late yesterday evening, power had been restored to about 80 percent of residents, all the residents on the north coast of Cayman Brac and to the hotels on Cayman Brac. And power was not disrupted on Little Cayman.
MYERS: Now most...
EBANKS: Absolutely no injuries.
MYERS: Good.
EBANKS: And so they've survived extremely well.
MYERS: Most Americans know Grand Cayman as the island of the Cayman Islands, not even realizing that the two islands here are part of your nation as well. How did Grand Cayman itself, Seven Mile Beach, the Turtle Farm, how did all that area how did that take the storm?
EBANKS: Well the storm passed within about 60 miles of us late yesterday evening last night and we've had no damaged areas. We had -- experienced rainfall. We had some winds of probably up to about 35 miles an hour last night...
MYERS: Oh.
EBANKS: ... and this morning we have winds about 15 to 20 miles an hour. And we're still having some rain, but there's been absolutely no damage or disruption on Grand Cayman. Everything's normal. Our flights were normal yesterday and flights will be normal in and out of Grand Cayman again today.
MYERS: That's great. Mr. Ebanks, thank you very much for waking up early with us this morning and being on the phone live with us.
EBANKS: My pleasure.
MYERS: And great news for the folks there.
Obviously, you heard the two islands he was talking about that did have the direct hit from the category one, the two islands right there, and Grand Cayman, the largest island here.
This storm, though, Carol, is going to go across the western tip of Cuba, into the Gulf of Mexico and get much larger as it heads to the western side of Louisiana or Eastern Texas. And that's obviously going to happen during the day on Thursday. More on that in about 13 minutes. Stay with us.
COSTELLO: OK, thank you very much -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome, Carol.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
