The Bluff’s history of help in hurricanes

Brackers arrived at the Veterans’ of Seamen Centre
on the Brac’s Bluff to take shelter from the
approaching Hurricane Ivan

by Nicky Watson

Friday,  December 31, 2004

Caves in Cayman Brac’s Bluff have offered protection to locals during hurricanes for as long as there have been people on the Island, and there were an estimated 200 people using these traditional shelters during Hurricane Ivan.

However, more and more Brackers are finding that building on the Bluff provides a more comfortable shelter and protects their house, too.

When Hurricane Allen hammered into Cayman Brac in 1980, sixty-four people went to Old Lady Cave in Spot Bay on the east end of the Island, among them Roy Walton and his family. 

Mr Walton said that during Allen, the cave was filled with women, children, old and handicapped people, while the men stood outside at the entrance to the cave, braving the fierce hurricane winds. The cave was prepared in advance to make the people as comfortable as possible, and they even had a portable toilet.

Eight years later, the cave filled up again for Hurricane Gilbert. This time those sheltering included four tourists, who preferred to stay and experience the storm than cut short their vacation, said Mr Walton.

However, During Hurricane Ivan, the Walton family was not only safe but also comfortable in a family shelter built eleven years ago up on the Bluff on Lee Green Drive.

Mr Walton, a construction contractor on Cayman Brac for 25 years, explained that this house, used only at weekends and during hurricanes, is built of eight-inch blocks with every core reinforced with 5-inch steel, and has three layers of roof.

“So if one roof blows off, we still have two more to protect us,” he said. 

The wooden rafters on the roof are tied down with 8-inch bolts and decked off with 5/8 plywood and 8 penny nails. A second layer of roof is the roll roofing on top of the decking. A final metal roof is screwed down with 2-inch screws at a low 2/12 pitch, which is more resistant to high winds, he explained.

The house has one large open room 28 by 18 feet with four beds, a couch, table and chairs and a propane stove. A water tank provides 600 gallons of water and a back-up generator could supply power for 12 hours. There are no trees around the house to come crashing in during a storm, just low level scrub, said Mr. Walton.

If Ivan had hit the Brac directly, he said he is confident they would all have been completely safe.

A major concern of many during a storm is what to do with pets. Karen Fraser spent part of Hurricane Allen standing outside the Aston Rutty Centre, holding her dog, Whiskey, who was not allowed into the shelter. Ms Fraser said she had to leave her dog, an old and much loved poodle, in the car, but when she went to the door of the Civic Centre to check on him, she could see him going frantic and couldn’t help but go and get him. She held Whiskey in her arms outside in the storm for about an hour, she said.

Today, Ms Fraser and her partner Fredy Schhultheiss and their seven dogs live on Songbird Drive on the Bluff, in the house she built in 1991. During Hurricane Ivan, they were able to offer shelter for both friends and their pets, and found room for an extra seven dogs and four cats, Ms Fraser said.

The Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Seamen and Veterans’ Society (S&VS) raised funds to build a large shelter on the Bluff, which was officially opened in May 2003 by the Earl of Wessex on his first visit to these Islands.

According to S&VS Treasurer, Glair Hennings, 165 people stayed in their Center during Hurricane Ivan, but he estimates that 250 could shelter there easily. With both government shelters, located at the Aston Rutty Centre and West End Primary School, filled to capacity, the S&VS Center was definitely needed, he said.

The Center was well stocked with food and drinking water and everyone sheltering there could have stayed for days if necessary, said Mr Hennings. Members of the S&VS acted as wardens, making sure that everyone was comfortable. There was not one problem, he said.

The S&V Center, covered with a semi-circular, coated steel roof, is built to withstand winds of 200mph, said Mr Hennings. It is 96 by 45 ft and has a large front entrance with a covered walkway and two back entrances. The building has a kitchen, 10 toilets, three showers and two urinals. It is built on Crown land that the Government provided on a 99-year peppercorn lease. 

The S&VS plans to buy a generator large enough to run the air-conditioning throughout a hurricane by next season. During Ivan, they borrowed a generator, which enabled them to run the lights, refrigerator and stove, but not the a/c, Mr Hennings explained. They also plan to buy first aid kits and 200 cots, which can be stored in the area under the stage.

Real Estate agents on the Brac are reporting that interest in Bluff land has risen since Hurricane Ivan.

Moses Kirkconnell of ERA on Cayman Brac said that they have seen an increase in both inquiries and sales since September and he believes there are two main reasons: “The Brac got tremendous exposure from so many local Caymanians coming over and spending time on the Brac after the storm, and there is also the realization that the elevation offers safety from storm surge”, he said.“Now with the approach of the busy tourist season, there is even more real estate activity,” he added.

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