Paloma strengthened to a hurricane with winds near 121kph on Thursday as it churned toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba.
Forecasters say the storm is expected to continue strengthening as it moves north and could become a major Category 3 hurricane by today as it approaches Cuba.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Cayman Islands, where the storm could dump up to 20cm of rain, said the US National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Paloma may make landfall in Cuba over the weekend, and Jamaica was warned to also monitor its progress, the center said.
AIRPORT CLOSED
The Cayman Islands planned to close its main airport yesterday morning, although no mandatory evacuation will be issued, Tourism Minister Charles Clifford said.
“I hope I’m right, but I don’t think this will be a major event,” he said.
Extra flights had been added as of Thursday night for those wishing to leave, and American Airlines and Delta planned to fly in larger aircraft as well. Guests who remain on the island will be moved to higher floors in anticipation of flooding, he said.
Jack Nelson, 75, of Salisbury, Maryland, arrived a week ago with his wife. The couple decided to stay on the island until today as planned because Nelson said a Category 1 hurricane was not something to fear, especially at the hotel where they were staying.
“I think it is very safe and it could take a Category 4 or 5,” he said.
The Cayman Islands’ top elected official, Kurt Tibbetts, urged residents not to wait until the last minute to prepare for the storm.
NO COMPLACENCY
“History has taught us that we cannot afford complacency during hurricane season, for conditions can rapidly deteriorate,” he said.
Grocery stores reported brisk business on Thursday, and some people had started to board up their windows.
Dozens of cars snaked in lines around gas stations, with residents recalling how they were left without gas during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.
Officials toured low-lying regions, concerned that the onslaught of recent rains could lead to quicker flooding.
As a tropical storm earlier on Thursday, Paloma dumped rain on the remote Nicaragua-Honduras border.
On Thursday evening, Paloma was located about 240km southwest of Grand Cayman and moving north at 13kph. A gradual turn to the northeast was expected late yesterday.
Nauru has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island in the Pacific Ocean. Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called “Golden Passports.” Selling for US$105,000 each, Nauru plans to drum up more than US$5 million in the first year of the “climate resilience citizenship” program. Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications — covering two families and four individuals. Despite the slow start —
MOGAMI-CLASS FRIGATES: The deal is a ‘big step toward elevating national security cooperation with Australia, which is our special strategic partner,’ a Japanese official said Australia is to upgrade its navy with 11 Mogami-class frigates built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said yesterday. Billed as Japan’s biggest defense export deal since World War II, Australia is to pay US$6 billion over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates. Australia is in the midst of a major military restructure, bolstering its navy with long-range firepower in an effort to deter China. It is striving to expand its fleet of major warships from 11 to 26 over the next decade. “This is clearly the biggest defense-industry agreement that has ever
DEADLY TASTE TEST: Erin Patterson tried to kill her estranged husband three times, police said in one of the major claims not heard during her initial trial Australia’s recently convicted mushroom murderer also tried to poison her husband with bolognese pasta and chicken korma curry, according to testimony aired yesterday after a suppression order lapsed. Home cook Erin Patterson was found guilty last month of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023, lacing their beef Wellington lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. A series of potentially damning allegations about Patterson’s behavior in the lead-up to the meal were withheld from the jury to give the mother-of-two a fair trial. Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale yesterday rejected an application to keep these allegations secret. Patterson tried to kill her
MILITARY’S MAN: Myint Swe was diagnosed with neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease, and had authorized another to perform his duties Myint Swe, who became Myanmar’s acting president under controversial circumstances after the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, died yesterday, the military said. He was 74. He died at a military hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, in the morning, Myanmar’s military information office said in a statement. Myint Swe’s death came more than a year after he stopped carrying out his presidential duties after he was publicly reported to be ailing. His funeral is to be held at the state level, but the date had not been disclosed, a separate statement from the
RSS