Damage estimates ranged from a “couple hundred thousand” to “a couple of million” dollars in the wake of a Sunday, 31 August, tour of the storm-damaged Sister Islands by MLAs, Ministers and H.E the Governor Stuart Jack.
The Sunday-morning helicopter tour, on an aircraft provided by visiting British warship HMS Iron Duke, covered both Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the harder hit of the two Hurricane Gustav-ravaged Sister Islands.
“Every dock in Cayman Brac was damaged,” said Sister Islands MLA Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, citing between seven and 10 piers around the island.
“We found major damage to the dock at the Reef Resort; between 25 and 30 electrical poles were down on Little Cayman and between 15 and 20 on Cayman Brac. People need electricity desperately.”
Water and roof damage affected homes on both islands, she said, while Little Cayman buildings suffered a variety of structural damage.
“I would estimate the damage at a couple of hundred thousand dollars. We’ve been through quite a few storms, but this was the strongest since 1980,” Ms O’Connor-Connolly said, discounting even 2004’s Hurricane Ivan, which, while devastating Grand Cayman, left the Sister islands relatively unmolested.
“Just because there was no roof damage to some places, does not mean you don’t have water damage,” said District Commissioner Ernie Scott, exhausted after four sleepless nights touring the two islands.
“There was roof damage in multiple places; the South Coast Road was breached in about six places. We had flooding on the south coast, and a bit on the north.”
He said a team from Caribbean Utilities Company was aiding Cayman Brac Power and Light crews and working alongside a Cable & Wireless squad to restore power and communications.
“I’d have to be guessing about when things will get back to normal,” Mr Scott said, “but power is going to take about two days to three days and that may not be to every household. The company is trying to get the high-tension lines restored.
“We are also trying to get the feeder roads back together. In the Brac, all the roads are cleaned, although not necessarily cleared, but they will allow passage; of course the utility guys have to be able to get through. Otherwise it’s impossible to restore power.”
He said a Monday, 1 September, meeting of the local “damage-assessment committee” would plan a house-to-house tour of both islands, listing repairs and allocating resources. “That is likely to take a couple of days as well,” Mr Scott said.
Leader of the Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), the Hon McKeeva Bush, said God had “blessed us and blessed the islands”, sparing residents any physical injury.
“I went over with Rolston [Anglin, MLA for West Bay] and Cline [Glidden, MLA for West Bay] and Mike Adam [tentatively tapped as UDP candidate for George Town in May elections]; we saw a very successful preparation effort by various government agencies – particularly the Fire Services – who, along with the rest of the Civil Service, did an excellent job of preparing. Quite a few people in the community also pitched in.
“There were some poles down, and some damage to resort areas and the Brac Reef Resort lost its dock. I would think that the damage is a couple of million dollars, but they are about up and running with electricity now,“ Mr Bush said, although he was less sanguine about Little Cayman.
“Little Cayman took tremendous damage,” he said, “and it’s going to take them about a week to get back (up to normal); a lot of the houses were damaged.”
He said 60 people remained in public shelters on Sunday, down from a high of 432 on Cayman Brac plus another 14 on Little Cayman, where the eye of the category 1 hurricane passed within 28 miles, with winds up to 57 miles per hour and gusts of 84 mph.
On Grand Cayman, little damage was reported apart from the collapse of 12 utility poles at the Queen’s Highway, a scattering of debris and rough seas as the storm came no closer than 52 miles.
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