Over 150 employees from the Public Works Department, National Roads Authority and the Department of Vehicle and Equipment Service successfully conducted Government’s 36th annual hurricane preparedness exercise across the five districts of Grand Cayman last week (Wednesday, May 3).

The exercise involved the shuttering up of 120 government buildings, including 16 hurricane shelters, in preparation of the upcoming hurricane season which starts on June 1.

In addition to shuttering up the buildings, standby generators in shelters and key government buildings were checked and started, and cistern water levels verified for acceptable level and state. On completion of the securing of shelters and buildings, Inspectors carried out detailed inspections of the buildings to certify that the facilities were adequately secured.

Director of the Public Works Department Troy Whorms commended the teams for executing their roles effectively. “The entire exercise, securing of all government buildings and shelters, was completed within four and a half hours. This is an improvement over the past few years when the established standard was just over five hours. This speaks to the level of teamwork and efficiency of our employees and what we should expect in the event of worst case scenario. Of note is the fact that during the exercise, there were no injuries or accidents,” he emphasised.

Several statutory authorities also participated in the exercise yesterday by securing their own facilities.

The annual hurricane preparedness exercise, which started in 1988, imitates the activities that would take place in the event of a real hurricane