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Published 19th January 2010, 2:44pm

Grand Cayman: January 19, 2010 – The Cayman Islands Emergency Communications Centre (CIEC911) received approximately one hundred 911 telephone calls in the minutes following the magnitude 5.8 earthquake this morning. There were no injuries and no reports of damage from the quake according to 911 telecommunicators. The 911 Communications Centre was in immediate contact with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii, which handles the Caribbean region, and was assured by the scientist on duty that there was no threat of a tsunami from this earthquake. Emergency Communications Centre Manager Brent Finster said that "9-1-1 calls received after the earthquake struck mostly dealt with people wanting to find out if an earthquake had really occurred or to notify us that they had evacuated their building and whether it was safe to go back inside. There were also a number of 911 calls regarding problems with telephone service." Finster reminds the public that the 911 emergency system should only be used by persons who need police, fire or Emergency Medical Services. CIEC911 processes 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency dispatches for public safety agencies, including police, fire and Emergency Medical Services on Grand Cayman as well as the Sister Islands. See our website www.911.gov.ky for additional information about us.