Twenty years ago, Hurricane Ivan devastated the Cayman Islands. Today, we reflect on the strength and resilience that followed.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) is the lead agency responsible for the national comprehensive disaster management programme and acts as the coordinating agency of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) as well as being members of the National Hazard Management Executive (NHM), Council and Policy Group. We take the threat of all hazards seriously and continue to strive to increase and improve Cayman’s resilience, response and recovery to them.
Preparedness and Planning are key to ensure an effective outcome both from an individual perspective and as a community.
Related Entities
Organisations and Functions
Vision
“To ensure the Cayman Islands is resilient and prepared, able to withstand and recover from all major crises.”
Mission Statement
Enhance the Cayman Island’s resiliency to disasters with full community participation. This will involve participation in the national approach to comprehensive hazard management through mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery thereby ensuring the preservation of human life, property and economic recovery.
As part of a World-Class Civil Service, we recognize that our success is built on a foundation that starts with our employees. Our values of passion, integrity, commitment and professionalism are therefore important guides to our interactions with colleagues within the broader Government, as well as with the public of whom we are here to serve.
Values
Organisational History
The Cayman Islands has had an Official Hurricane Plan since the early 1970s. Regular revision kept the plan current and lessons learned from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 changed the approach to Disaster Management.
The Cayman Islands National Strategic Plan 1998 -2008 lists “comprehensive contingency planning” and establishment of a “national emergency management agency” among its strategies. The document also mentions prevention and mitigation as desirable activities to be undertaken to safeguard the country. The proposal for a national agency with a comprehensive mandate to lead the risk management process is therefore in keeping with the plans for national development.
In January 2007, Hazard Management Cayman Islands was established as the government agency responsible for coordination of all programs dealing with national disasters, whether natural or man-made and implementing the National Hurricane Plan. The National Hurricane Committee was transitioned to the National Hazard Management Council.