By Tina Trumbach
tina@caymannetnews.com

Two days after the storm, post-Paloma conditions on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman were improving rapidly.

Leader of Government Business Hon Kurt Tibbetts said recovery efforts were going “reasonably well” on the Sister Islands which were hard hit by Paloma on Saturday, 8 November.

By Monday, relief supplies from Grand Cayman had arrived in the Brac and were being distributed, Cayman Airways had resumed jet flights to the island, and banking facilities through Cayman National began with ATM service.

The port on Cayman Brac was functioning although the Port Authority warehouse had been severely damaged; the Gerrard Smith International Airport was operational; and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service was setting up new headquarters at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) Brac campus.

Significant progress had been made, and the curfew imposed immediately after the storm was lifted by Monday afternoon.

However, the provision of electrical power remained a primary concern, with Mr Tibbetts appealing for generators via Radio Cayman’s Talk Today show.

He said several hundred generators would be needed, as it was uncertain how long it would take for electricity to be restored due to extensive damage to the Brac’s power infrastructure.

A Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) team from Grand Cayman was travelling to Cayman Brac on Tuesday to assist in the restoration process.

“We are trying to get power to the shelters, old people’s homes, the District Administration Building and the police headquarters in the UCCI building. Crews are working around the clock, but it’s still going to be a little while till we get electrified,” Mr Tibbetts said.

Ernie Scott, District Commissioner of Cayman Brac, told Cayman Net News on Monday that crews were working to get power restored on the north side of the island from the power plant to Faith Hospital and then onward to Kirkconnell Supermarket.

Mr Scott said that while electricity was being restored on the main line, individual homes might not receive power due to the extent of damages to dwellings.

Mr Tibbetts added that drinking water was not in short supply, but distribution was a concern.

In the Brac, tanker trucks deliver water to cisterns and individual residences. This was the supply, he said, that was crucial.

The Water Authority of the Cayman Islands said in a statement on Monday that it was providing up to 10 gallons of water per person free of cost. Water trucks at Spot Bay Primary School and the Watering Place Post Office were distributing water to residents on Monday afternoon.

The authority said that flooding and the lack of electricity were hampering assessment of the Brac’s water distribution network.

Approximately 14 days’ water supply remained in the Brac’s reservoir on Monday, and the Water Authority was sending generators over to assist in service restoration.

With regard to providing shelter, Mr Scott said trailers might be used to house residents with damaged homes, explaining that locations were being assessed for placing trailer homes, expected to arrive within one week.

“Within the next few days, we should be moving on to the rebuilding phase on Cayman Brac,” Mr Tibbetts said.

Planning inspectors were on the Brac assessing structural damages, he added, saying this was important, as they did not want to start repairs to properties if a full rebuild was required.

Chief Building Control Officer Emerson Piercy said personnel were checking if buildings were structurally safe and evaluating the condition of electrical and plumbing systems to ensure that these services could be restored as quickly as possible.

In addition, insurance adjustors were expected to arrive Tuesday to assess damage.

Mr Tibbetts said that when he surveyed the destruction on Cayman Brac “all the bad memories of Ivan came back, but sprits are high and people are resilient.”

A range of other essential services were also assessed.

Dr Greg Hoeksema, Medical Director of the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority, was on Cayman Brac immediately following the storm. He confirmed that no major injuries attributed to Paloma were reported, only a few minor “bumps and scratches”.

He said that immediately post-Paloma, medical services were shifted to the Aston Rutty Centre, but by Monday, outpatient services were open at the Faith Hospital from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm and 24-hour emergency care was also available. Community outreach teams were going to people who needed assistance and the 911 system was on line.

A tetanus booster campaign was started at the hospital due to the large amount of “dangerous debris and sharp objects”, he added.

Dr Hoeksema said more nurses and Emergency Medical Technicians from Grand Cayman would go to the Brac over the next couple of weeks.

The fuel supply was another concern. Mr Tibbetts said additional stocks were being sent from Grand Cayman. The Brac had 40 days’ worth of fuel as of Monday, but the decision was made to safeguard against shortages as the use of generators would increase demand.

The island’s two gas stations were open on Monday, as were several stores and restaurants operating on generator power.

ATM service from Cayman National was up by Monday evening, and the bank planned to open its offices Thursday and Friday, 13 and 14 November, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Mr Tibbetts said he was confident that just as Grand Cayman recovered from Ivan, the Sister Islands would bounce back from Paloma.

“I know that it’s rough, and what I saw this morning really rocked me,” he said.

He said that although people were in “damage and despair, we will work together to get things done.”

Despite the strides made to restore normalcy on Cayman Brac, travel to the Sister Islands remained restricted on Monday.

The Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) said on Monday that only essential relief personnel should be travelling to the Sister Islands.

Mr Tibbetts asked people to continue to exercise patience until all services were again fully operational.

Both he and second elected member for the Sister Islands Moses Kirkconnell praised the way people were pulling together to assist the recovery effort.

Mr Kirkconnell said, “People ask ‘What is Caymanian?’ Well this is a perfect example of what is Caymanian – people coming together to help their brothers and sisters. It’s an amazing feeling to see this.”