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Search forCouple in hurricane nightmare
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 07:30
Matthew Dawson and his wife Carla were lucky to escape unscathed with their two children when their home was battered by winds of up to 155mph.
Their two-storey home on the island of Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands was badly damaged by Hurricane Paloma, and part of the roof caved in.
The family moved to the region in 2005. Mr and Mrs Dawson had both worked as police officers in Lincolnshire for many years. They now both work for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
They have since had to cope with a series of hurricanes, including Hurricane Gustav earlier this year.
Mr Dawson, who took part in the rescue work after Paloma, said the scene on the island was one of "total devastation".
"We were more fortunate than a lot of people here – many have had their homes totally destroyed," he said.
"It will be months until power is restored island-wide and much longer until things are back to normal here.
"We moved out here for an experience – we now have had a little more than we bargained for.
"I, for one, will never complain about the British weather again."
At the height of Hurricane Paloma, Mrs Dawson and daughters Caitlin (3) and Isabelle (13 months)
were forced to shelter in their car in the garage.
For more on the story, see Thursday's Lincolnshire Echo.
Devastation caused by Hurricane Paloma
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