The Cayman Islands were spared the full force of Hurricane Dean, but the Cayman Islands Red Cross-an overseas Branch of the British Red Cross-was prepared for the worst.

Hemant Balgobin, disaster manager at the Cayman Islands Red Cross, said: "Hurricane Dean passed well south of Grand Cayman and as a result did not cause as much damage as was expected. It is safe to say that we have been spared from what could have been a catastrophic event."Expecting to be hit by the brute force of the category 4 hurricane, the Red Cross began preparing islanders for the worst.

Prepared

Teams of Red Cross volunteers set up and ran shelters that were used by around 2,500 people.

Once it was deemed safe to leave the shelters, volunteers conducted assessments of the damage done by the winds. They reported flooding in some areas, as well as trees, sand and debris blocking some roads.

The British Red Cross also has enough stocks of emergency supplies-such as blankets, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets-for 3,000 families (15,000 people) stored in Panama in case they are needed by overseas Branches.

Moira Reddick, head of disaster management at the British Red Cross, said: "It is wonderful that we were not required to respond to damage caused by Hurricane Dean in the Cayman Islands. However, we clearly need to be prepared to respond wherever a disaster may happen in order to prevent loss of life and damage to livelihoods.

"We are expecting more hurricanes this season so the Red Cross is on standby in the Cayman Islands and elsewhere."

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