As the wind and rain starts to pick up and the storm edges closer to Cayman, it’s time to grab the bare necessities and move to a hurricane shelter.

For those who have decided their homes are not in a suitable area where they can bunker down safely, shelters offer a port in the storm to more than 3,000 people on the three Islands.

The time to move to a shelter is once the Storm Alert has been issued.

Before this happens though, you should have figured out the route to the shelter, shuttered your windows and doors, and packed your belongings, ready to go.

Prepare a checklist in advance to ensure that you have everything you need to bring with you, including medicines, children’s toys, enough food and water to last three to four days, a first aid kit, and baby formula and diapers.

Make sure you also pack a clean change of clothes, as well as some sheets and pillows, but be aware that if you show up with a blow-up mattress or a collapsible bed, you might be asked to leave it outside if there is not enough space at the shelter.

If you have a pet, you should by now have already made arrangements for Fido to stay at home or elsewhere as the government shelters do not accept pets.

If you have to leave your pet at home while you go to a shelter, the Cayman Islands Humane Society suggests you do not leave the dog, cat or other pet tied up, inside or outside, because the animal would not be able to escape from rising water levels or projectiles blown around in the wind.

And it may sound obvious, but don’t leave your cat and your dog in the same room.

Sitting in a shelter for hours on end can become boring, but don’t be tempted to turn it into a hurricane party.

Leave alcohol and drugs at home and do not take them to the shelter.

What to take to a shelter
What to take:

• A three to four day supply of food and drink that does not require cooking
• Can opener
• Three to four day supply of water (one gallon per day per person)
• First aid kit that includes prescription medications
• Special needs items for infants (formula, bottles, and diapers, etc.)
• Special needs items for elderly or disabled family members
• If you have small children, take at least one of their favourite foods (eg, breakfast cereal) and something to keep them occupied
• Bedding (sleeping bags, pillows)
• Battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries
• A change of clothes
• Extra set of car keys, credit cards, cash
• Passports and important family papers
• Reading materials and quiet games to help pass time and keep children occupied
• Car charger for cell phone

What not to take:

• Pets
• Alcohol
• Food that needs cooking
• Illegal drugs
• Furniture
• Weapons
• Cooking equipment
• Cots/air mattresses may not be allowed due to limited space

Shelter locations

• There are 15 public shelters where people relocate to during a hurricane on Grand Cayman and four on the Sister Islands.
• At least one shelter in each district is designated as an emergency medical centre, or EMC.
• East End Primary, which has been a hurricane shelter in the past, is not one of this year’s designated public shelters.
• In total, the shelters have the capacity to hold a maximum of 3,090 people.

Grand Cayman
George Town (2,530 capacity)
John Gray High School Assembly Hall (265)
George Hicks High School Multipurpose Hall (375)
George Town Primary School Assembly Hall (160)
University College of the Cayman Islands Hall (500)
Red Cross Building (95)
Prospect Primary School – EMC (1,135)
West Bay (795)
John A. Cumber Primary School (Assembly Hall (EMC) and some classrooms) (470)
John Gray Memorial Church Hall (325)
East End (570)
East End Civic Centre – EMC (240)
Gun Bay Community Hall (65)
North Side (185)
North Side Civic Centre – EMC (185)
Breakers (40)
Breakers Community Hall (40)
Bodden Town (80)
Bodden Town Primary School Multipurpose Hall – EMC (80)
Savannah (135)
Savannah Primary School Assembly Hall
– EMC (135)

Sister Islands
Cayman Brac (825 capacity)
Aston Rutty Centre – EMC (420)
West End Primary School (250)
New Day Care Centre (155)
Little Cayman (140)
Public Works Department Building – EMC (140)