Report to the Cayman Islands' Government. Adaptation lessons learned from responding to tropical cyclones by the Cayman Islands' Government: 1988 - 2002

The Cayman Islands' Government has enhanced its capacity to respond to severe tropical cyclones over the past 15 years. The purpose of this report is to explore some of the drivers of change and to highlight the key factors that changed the response capacity in the Cayman Islands' Government between 1988 (when they were affected by Hurricane Gilbert) and 2001 (when they were affected by Hurricane Michelle).

By identifying these factors, it may be possible to better understand how governments respond to seasonal and inter -annual weather variability. Specifically this report identifies: recent experiences of severe tropical cyclones in the Cayman Islands; changes in the Cayman Islands' Government in response to tropical cyclone risk; motivating factors for formal institutional change; and lessons for adapting to climate change.