Prince George

Cayman Islands hit with Earthquake after disaster in Haiti

Recent earthquakes have Caribbean residents running scared

The recent Haiti earthquake that ravaged Port-au-Prince shook the lives of hundreds of thousands of people to their very foundation. The world has reached out with aid, from food to supplies to simply cash advance distributions for aid groups. However, the lack of homes and the nightmare of delivering aid using an annihilated infrastructure make Haiti a scene that nightmares are made of. Now the Caribbean has experienced another earthquake: a Cayman Islands earthquake. Fortunately, this one was merely a 5.8 and there have been no initial reports of injuries or damage. The epicenter was about 30 miles southwest of the Cayman Islands, at the Oriente Fracture Zone, which is on the Cayman Trough.

The Cayman’s also had a 6.8 earthquake just after Hurricane Ivan in December of 2004. Only minor structural damage was reported at the time.

Buildings and homes shook while people held their breath

The Washington Post indicates that minor earthquakes are common in the Cayman Islands region, the aftermath of the Haitian disaster weighed heavily on the minds of residents.

The whole building was rocking, said Junior Elliott, who was in the midst of a water delivery to an office building in George Town when the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit at 9:23 a.m. Elevators were shut down, and building occupants fled via stairwell. Reports indicate evacuation plans took place in an orderly fashion and emergency services weren’t needed.

Some phone service was out for a short time

But overall, the impact of the Cayman Islands earthquake was much less than the Haiti earthquake. Aside from the difference in severity, one reason for this is that Cayman building codes require homes and commercial structures to be able to withstand both hurricanes and earthquakes. Such regulations are likely possible because the overall economy of the Cayman Islands is superior to that of Haiti. The GDP Per Capita income of the Caymans is $ 42,000 – the highest standard of living in the Caribbean, and greater than that of Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. That might sound higher than the average person who gets a cash advance in the USA – but it isn’t by as much as one might think.

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