Update On Earthquake

Caribbean Earthquake Hits Grand Cayman A 20-foot diameter sink hole opened just in front of the water front apartments in Pirates Lair, South Sound Road following Tuesday’s earthquake. Residents of premises were evacuating Tuesday.

A magnitude-5.8 earthquake was felt all around Grand Cayman – as well as other areas in the Caribbean - at 9.23am Tuesday. According to officials with Hazard Management Cayman Islands, the quake struck about 32 miles east-southeast of Bodden Town at a depth of 6.2 miles.
According to all reports, the quake lasted no more than 10 to 15 seconds. Hazard Management Cayman Islands Deputy Director Omar Afflick said there were no tsunamis expected in the wake of the earthquake. “We experienced, at the very least, a tremor,” said local meteorologist John Tibbetts, just minutes after the quake. Mr. Afflick said several government buildings were evacuated immediately following the earthquake, including some schools. There were no reports of major damage to buildings, although phone lines were not functioning across Grand Cayman for a brief time. David Archbold, managing director of the Information and Communication Technology Authority said he had spoken to both Digicel and LIME. Both companies reported no technical problems. “There (is) local congestion in some areas on mobile circuits, but there were no problems with the land lines,” he said. “Because LIME has more infrastructure, they are still checking their lines and equipment but they have had no alarms no reports of any problems.”
At 10am Tuesday, Director of Hazard Management Cayman Islands, McCleary Frederick, said that residents could return to offices and homes. “Obviously in light of what has happened in Haiti, our residents are very sensitive to this type of occurrence,” Mr. Frederick said. “We are fortunate that the Cayman Islands appear to have come through unscathed, but it is reminder for everyone that they need to know how to respond during an earthquake. In particular it is important to duck under a strong piece of furniture, or at least protect the head with (your) arms." The Cayman Islands 911 Emergency Centre received a number of calls in the immediate aftermath of the quake, but most were questions about whether or not an earthquake had hit or queries about why phone lines were down. There were no reports of injuries.

Damage report
What appeared to be the most severe damage from the quake occurred in South Sound, as a large sinkhole opened up at the waterfront apartments of Pirates Lair on South Sound Road.
The sinkhole, about 20 feet in diameter, opened outside the apartments shortly after the earthquake struck. The family against whose property the sinkhole lies were evacuating the premises on Tuesday morning. No cracks were evident in the adjacent building, but the family said they were moving out as a precaution because they had young children. Residents of the condo complex rushed home from their workplaces as they were informed of the sinkhole and the area was being cordoned off. In the Cricket Square office complex, located in central George Town, office workers were shaken up. “It was so scary I could not believe what was happening, considering what has happened in Haiti,” said Abigail Thompson, who works at UBS. Other office buildings in George Town, closed down following the quake’s impact. In Bodden Town, there were no obvious signs of damage. However, people there most certainly felt the tremor.
Meddie Connor was behind the counter at the Texaco in Bodden Town when the tremor hit.
“Usually when a big truck goes past, it shakes the building, so I looked around and there was no truck. So I turned to my co-worker and said ‘let’s go’,” she said. They ran out of the shop into the open, but by that time it was all over. The only damage was two cans that fell from the shelf.
Shaun Donn was at home when the shaking started. “It was heavy, man! I ran out of the house in my underpants – I didn’t have time to put on my clothes,” he said. According to Mr. Donn, the only thing that happened to his home was that his roll-on deodorant fell off the shelf. In West Bay, home owner Carroll Yates was in Foster’s Food Fair by the Strand at around 9:30am.
Mrs. Yates said it was a traumatic experience. “A woman shouted to get out because it was an earthquake,” Mrs. Yates said. “The store manager told people to get out of the building. “I even saw a woman come out of the store clutching her heart and another woman grab her family and say “’let’s pray’.” “It all happened so fast I didn’t have time to be scared. It was a good thing it was fairly empty in the store, else people could have been trampled on.” Upon returning to her North West Point Road home, Mrs. Yates stated there was no damage to her premises or surrounding property. Meanwhile, on West Bay Road part-time labourer Kenrick Whittaker witnessed some of the after-effects of the tremor. “My uncle shook when he was talking to my co-worker,” Whittaker said. “People on West Bay Road, round by Cayman Reef, ran out of buildings wondering what happened." North Side residents seemed to feel the effects of the quake less, and in Cayman Brac, hardly any effects were reported. “All I felt was a shake. The toothbrushes rattled, but that was about it,” said Sheena Ebanks, who works at Chisholm’s market in North Side. “We felt it. It was just for a few seconds and that was it. The glasses weren’t even rattling,” said Willmers Bush, bartender at Over the Edge in North Side. “No one that I’ve spoken to has told me they felt (the earthquake,)” Sister Islands District Commissioner Ernie Scott said.

(This was copied from the local newspaper here.)