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CNN Live Today

Interview with Max Hillier

Aired October 01, 2002 - 10:04   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's move on to weather and Hurricane Lili. It is gaining strength as it gets closer and closer to western Cuba and the warm waters of the Gulf Coast. Forecasters say that Lili could come ashore in the U.S. within the next few days.
Already the storm has battered the Cayman Islands, causing power outages and forcing hundreds of people from their homes.

Max Hillier is the general manager of a Cayman Islands beach resort. He is on the phone with us right now to talk more about the storm -- good morning.

MAX HILLIER, RESORT MANAGER: Good morning.

KAGAN: How are you guys doing this morning?

HILLIER: Oh, we're doing much better now that the winds have abated somewhat. We are still getting loads of rain, but we doing much better, hoping to get some sun later today.

KAGAN: OK. Max, how long have you lived in the Cayman Islands?

HILLIER: I have lived on Cayman Brac for approximately six years.

KAGAN: And how would you characterize the storm compared to others that you have been through?

HILLIER: Well, I don't think I've ever seen the winds this strong. We had 80 mile an hour winds with higher gusts, and the rain was driving sideways, literally stinging your face. It was really bad. The wave heights were pretty huge. Right in front of our property here, we had anywhere between 8 to 12, 14-foot seas coming in, so it was pretty bad.

KAGAN: And when you are on a small island like that, I would imagine the storm surge is a big problem as well.

HILLIER: Yes, definitely, and you know we're mainly concerned with Scuba diving here, so obviously our dive boats are a major concern for us, and luckily they all weathered out fine. During the middle of the storm, one of our boats was dragging. We had to go out and set the anchor in like 70 mile an hour winds to prevent it from washing up on the beach. That was kind of interesting.

KAGAN: Have you been able to get a sense of how people did across the islands? HILLIER: Definitely -- everyone seems to have done fine. I think major damage around the island was power lines going down, trees breaking, trees blowing across the road. That type of thing. Thankfully, I haven't heard of anyone being injured or any property sustaining any severe type of damage.

KAGAN: That is good news. What did you do with all your guests during the storm?

HILLIER: Well, actually, we have a pretty secure spot in our restaurant. We basically all just hung out there, we made sure that we were boarded up as much as we could, and we just weathered out the storm, made sure everyone stayed indoors, and had a good time.

KAGAN: Did you feed the guests for free, Max?

HILLIER: Yes, definitely. We fed them for free. We had a few exciting rum concoctions that some of the guests made up themselves. Yes, it was great.

KAGAN: Well, that will make any hurricane pass a little bit more easily, I would imagine. Max, we are glad that you guys did well through that, and thanks for joining us. Max Hillier -- Max Hillier from a Cayman Islands beach resort. Thank you so much.

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 - 10:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's move on to weather and Hurricane Lili. It is gaining strength as it gets closer and closer to western Cuba and the warm waters of the Gulf Coast. Forecasters say that Lili could come ashore in the U.S. within the next few days.
Already the storm has battered the Cayman Islands, causing power outages and forcing hundreds of people from their homes.

Max Hillier is the general manager of a Cayman Islands beach resort. He is on the phone with us right now to talk more about the storm -- good morning.

MAX HILLIER, RESORT MANAGER: Good morning.

KAGAN: How are you guys doing this morning?

HILLIER: Oh, we're doing much better now that the winds have abated somewhat. We are still getting loads of rain, but we doing much better, hoping to get some sun later today.

KAGAN: OK. Max, how long have you lived in the Cayman Islands?

HILLIER: I have lived on Cayman Brac for approximately six years.

KAGAN: And how would you characterize the storm compared to others that you have been through?

HILLIER: Well, I don't think I've ever seen the winds this strong. We had 80 mile an hour winds with higher gusts, and the rain was driving sideways, literally stinging your face. It was really bad. The wave heights were pretty huge. Right in front of our property here, we had anywhere between 8 to 12, 14-foot seas coming in, so it was pretty bad.

KAGAN: And when you are on a small island like that, I would imagine the storm surge is a big problem as well.

HILLIER: Yes, definitely, and you know we're mainly concerned with Scuba diving here, so obviously our dive boats are a major concern for us, and luckily they all weathered out fine. During the middle of the storm, one of our boats was dragging. We had to go out and set the anchor in like 70 mile an hour winds to prevent it from washing up on the beach. That was kind of interesting.

KAGAN: Have you been able to get a sense of how people did across the islands? HILLIER: Definitely -- everyone seems to have done fine. I think major damage around the island was power lines going down, trees breaking, trees blowing across the road. That type of thing. Thankfully, I haven't heard of anyone being injured or any property sustaining any severe type of damage.

KAGAN: That is good news. What did you do with all your guests during the storm?

HILLIER: Well, actually, we have a pretty secure spot in our restaurant. We basically all just hung out there, we made sure that we were boarded up as much as we could, and we just weathered out the storm, made sure everyone stayed indoors, and had a good time.

KAGAN: Did you feed the guests for free, Max?

HILLIER: Yes, definitely. We fed them for free. We had a few exciting rum concoctions that some of the guests made up themselves. Yes, it was great.

KAGAN: Well, that will make any hurricane pass a little bit more easily, I would imagine. Max, we are glad that you guys did well through that, and thanks for joining us. Max Hillier -- Max Hillier from a Cayman Islands beach resort. Thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com