“We will potentially experience aftershocks for the next couple of weeks. So, we’ve got to make sure everyone’s being vigilant and knows what to do if by chance we experienced this again,” said Danielle Coleman, Hazard Management Cayman Islands director.

Overnight Tuesday and throughout Wednesday, several aftershocks were registered following the initial 7.7 magnitude quake that struck Tuesday at 2:10pm.

Public Works Department and National Roads Authority crews were out and about Wednesday filling in sinkholes that appeared following the earthquake.

On Wednesday morning, local leaders addressed the emergency response in the aftermath of the quake at a press conference at the Government Administration Building.

“I am really, really proud of the way that we have been able to respond and get things back to normal,” Premier Alden McLaughlin said as he commended Cayman’s emergency and Hazard Management teams.

McLaughlin pointed out that there was no significant damage to any structures that he was aware of, as he described Cayman as “an incredible jurisdiction”. He said the islands did not lose power in the aftermath of the earthquake, but there were issues with water supply.

“Although there was significant damage to some of the pipes, Water Authority has worked like Trojans all through yesterday afternoon, all through last night, to isolate where the leaks were and to have most of the island now back on water,” he said.

Governor Martyn Roper, who also spoke at the media briefing, said Cayman should be pleased with the speed of notifications issued to the public and the effort from emergency responders.

“We should also, I think, take credit for the fact that we’ve got the islands up and running again very quickly,” he said. “The port is open, the airport is open. We have six cruise liners here today; water very quickly restored in some areas; and checks going on,” said Roper.

“We’ve done an awful lot very quickly to get back to normal. Often, in these crises, ‘keep calm and carry on’ is the mantra and I saw a lot of that in action yesterday, and I think Caymanians and our citizens can be proud of that response.”

He said an assessment of the response and the lessons learned will be conducted.

“There were things we did very well. I’m sure there are things we could do differently or do better, and we will be doing that at that lessons-learned exercise. And that should happen after every one of these crises,” he said. “I do think our crisis-management plans are in very good shape. They were tested yesterday and have come out well.”

Deputy Police Commissioner Kurt Walton said Tuesday’s traffic chaos in George Town following the earthquake was “quite challenging”, but he was proud of his officers’ response as they remained on duty, and off-duty officers came out to help.

“The three key priorities were just simple preservation of life, maintaining public safety, and just looking at all the assessments of damage. Then, how we were able to provide collaboration and [work] with the HMCI in providing a message, ensuring that the messages that were coming out of the centre were being properly delivered to members of the public,” Walton said.

Coleman added that members of the public should resist the urge to rush out onto the roads following an earthquake since sinkholes and potential tsunamis can happen in the aftermath of a tremor, creating further danger for motorists who may be trapped in gridlock.

NRA said it is currently conducting repairs at the following locations:

• South Sound Road, near the jetty
• Oakmill Street
• Norbrook Street
• Northside along Rum Point Drive
• West Bay Cemetery Beach
• Invicta Drive