Rattling Nerves

The earth and buildings shook in the Cayman Islands yesterday rattling nerves more than the 5.8 Richter scale the quake hit and prompting fears of a repeat of the devastation in Haiti. “Minor temblors are common in the region, but Cayman residents were mindful of the 7.0 earthquake that devastated much of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince a week ago. ‘The whole building was rocking,’ said Junior Elliott, 30, who was delivering water bottles to a four-story office building near the harbor in George Town, the capital. ‘Everybody scrambled, trying to get out. They couldn’t use the elevators, so they went down the stairs.’ The earthquake hit 30 miles southeast of Grand Cayman Island at 9:23 a.m., Cayman Islands Chief Meteorologist John Tibbetts said. ‘I have heard no reports of any damage in Grand Cayman. There have been no calls to 911 or Hazard Management. It appears to be just a shaking for us,’ Tibbetts said. Some phone systems were temporarily out of service but the quake had not caused major disruption, residents said.”