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Are Your Plants Ready to Weather a Storm?

Hurricane Watch 25 Jun, 2025 Follow News

By Morgan Golden-Ebanks

Our climate is changing fast, and this is threatening the survival and wellbeing of people and nature around the world. The Caribbean region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate. Warmer sea temperatures are fuelling stronger storms and intensifying hurricanes more quickly than any other time in recorded history.

These storms bring heavier rainfall and stronger winds, wave action, and storm surge. These conditions increase the extent of coastal and inland flooding, which can cause significant damage to our native plant communities, as well as those that bear food.

Climate Risks to Agriculture

In 2022, a Climate Change Risk Assessment for the Cayman Islands was completed, which identified 50 risks to our Islands – 18 were determined to be severe risks. The assessment also looked at the drivers of these risks. In other words, what aspects of a changing climate are causing these risks to exist?

One of the severe risks identified in the assessment is that both fresh surface water and fresh groundwater may become increasingly salty due to sea level rise, as well as storm surges and coastal flooding from storms. Increased saltiness of our freshwater resources is a problem because plant communities are sensitive to changes in their environment, and many plants will die if their roots are in contact with salt water, even for a short period of time.

Another risk involves storm damage to forest, woodlands, and shrubland habitats, as well as to arable and horticultural agriculture. As storms become stronger, the damage they cause from high winds and flooding will likely become costlier. It is estimated that Hurricane Ivan in 2004 destroyed about 90-95% of crops in Grand Cayman . Future losses as a result of hurricanes to the agriculture sector is expected to be large.

Prevention Is the Best Cure 

Anyone who has had a mango tree taken out by a hurricane knows the pain of losing those juicy fruits, both emotionally and financially. Restoring your fruit trees or native landscaping is not cheap, and neither is replanting a farm.

To help reduce the chance that your trees will be downed in a storm, you should first learn about the root structure of the plant. Do the roots tend to spread out horizontally, or go deep?

Be sure to plant in areas that will allow the roots to fully establish themselves. Cayman is very rocky, so there may be pockets of soil on your property that are more suitable for planting.

Trees that are planted too shallow can fall over, even in moderate winds. It’s also important to get advice on the type of soil your plants will thrive in, as some have very specific nutrient and drainage requirements.

Once plants are in the ground, you can support their resilience by watering them regularly, and for some plants, adding fertilizer to help their roots grow strong and healthy. Also consider doing regular inspections of the trees on your property. Look for signs of decay, termites, and disease, which can cause the tree to fall during a storm.

The Department of Agriculture supports local growers through various services such as the Crop Extension Services and the Tree Crop Husbandry Programme. For more details regarding the care and maintenance of crops plants, as well as pruning and pest and disease management of orchard crops, email agriculture@gov.ky or call +(345) 947-3090.

Preparing for Impact

No one knows for sure if any given hurricane will make landfall, so it is generally best to prepare your yard or farm before the Hurricane Season begins. One important step that you can take to prepare your plants and lower the risk of damage or loss is to trim or brace your trees.

Here are some quick tips:

• In order to allow wind to pass through the canopy, focus your efforts on removing the interior branches – thin the canopy out. Avoid trimming more than 25% of the tree canopy. 

• If you’d like to maintain low growth, hire a professional to properly prune the tree canopy. This may reduce the likelihood of the tree toppling due to heavy winds. However, if done incorrectly or excessively, some tree species may not grow back properly, be put at risk for disease and pests, and die prematurely.

• For larger trees that are within 10 feet of power lines, do not attempt to cut trees or branches . Contact CUC for assistance.

• For those with fruit trees like banana and plantain, these can be cut down to the base as they are easily pushed down by wind.

• Smaller trees that are still growing, or that have experienced damage before, may benefit from bracing.

• Do not cut the tree root system of your trees and plants.

• Make sure to correctly dispose of all tree cuttings since branches and stumps left out in the open can become projectiles during a storm. Household vegetation waste is accepted at the landfills and can be dropped off Monday to Saturday.

If a storm is threatening to make landfall, you should further secure your property by storing or tying down lose items that may become projectiles during strong winds. Not only is this good for your safety, it can also help protect your plants.

A word of advice – don’t wait until a tropical storm has formed off the coast of Africa to start preparing your property. Be prepared. Wishing you and your plants a safe Hurricane Season!

Looking for more information on how to protect your home and property from climate risks like stronger storms? Download the My Resilient Home & Property Guide here: https://www.gov.ky/sustainability/climatechangepolicy#WYCD

Have questions about climate change? Email climate@gov.ky .

Author’s bio: Morgan Golden-Ebanks is as a Policy Advisor in the Environment & Resiliency Unit in the Ministry of Health, Environment & Sustainability. She is passionate about contributing to policies that protect and sustain both people and nature.


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