Cayman Islands Government Press Release

Monday, September 13, 2004

The Government of the Cayman Islands issued a press release as of 2 pm EDT on Monday, which reports that, at this moment in time, Hurricane Ivan has caused no reported casualties in the Cayman Islands.

There has been extensive water damage to a number of buildings, but the vast majority remain structurally sound. The country's housing stock has also been impaired. The electricity supply, which was turned off before the hurricane hit, has been affected, and the electricity company is working to re-establish the lines and pylons. Mobile phones are now being reconnected.

The Cayman Islands Government (CIG) is focusing on four priority areas:

1. Securing the storm shelters -- ensuring people are safe, warm and have food.
2. Clearing the roads of debris and restoring essential services.
3. Working with HMS Richmond and the Auxiliary Ship Wave Runner. Both ships are currently offshore, and the Captain of HMS Richmond is preparing the ship's helicopter to undertake a test flight. If the test flight is successful aerial surveillance will begin, allowing an effective assessment of priorities.
4. Ensuring safety and security. The police will be assisted by personnel of HMS Richmond.

The supermarkets have supplies that have not been spoiled by rain or flood water, and will reopen as soon as possible. The CIG is working to reopen the banks and to ensure the economy begins to function as normal as soon as possible.

The absolute priority of the Cayman Islands Government is to ensure the Islands get back on their feet. The Cabinet Secretary, Orrett Connor, said: "The Cayman Islands has picked itself up from hurricanes in the past. There is a tremendous team spirit here, and we are working together to rebuild and regroup. We are absolutely determined to be back in business extremely quickly."

The Government is working to ensure continuity in the Islands' financial services industry and will aim for the tourism sector to be back in business as soon as possible.

The airport is back in restricted use, with a Cayman Airways plane flying in from Miami this afternoon. The Air Traffic Control tower is operational. There is no further update, at the moment, about the resumption of commercial flights.

As soon as more information becomes available, the Department of Tourism New York office will be disseminating this. Please DO NOT overload the already stretched resources of the Government and emergency personnel by trying to call the Islands directly for an update. 

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