Advance insurance payouts will help start the process of rebuilding. Photo by Carlton Lyons

Hurricane recovery in the Sister Islands was given a US$150,000 boost by a donation to the Cayman Islands National Recovery Fund announced by H.E the Governor Stuart Jack.

The donation is earmarked to meet the housing needs of those who suffered damage to their homes in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, according to a press release from the Governor’s office.

The donation is being made from the Governor’s delegated funds from the UK, the release said.
Other measures were also taken to give Sister Islands residents some financial help.

Civil servant salaries were paid early to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman public workers, and the Ministry of Health & Human Services has also made early payments to residents getting Government financial assistance as well as those receiving seafarers’ and veterans’ benefits.

Loan forms for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman civil servants were also available from the Command Centre on Cayman Brac and cheques were scheduled to be disbursed on Wednesday, 19 November.
Insurance payments to Cayman Brac residents have also begun.

British American Insurance paid out advance allotments of insurance money totalling $230,000 to 31 families. British American’s Property Manager Deserene Miller hand-delivered the first batch of cheques over the past weekend. She also visited homeowners who suffered major property damage.

British American’s Cayman Brac agent Ellen Lazzari has been working with the company’s insurance adjustors, JEC Property Consultants, who have been on the Brac since 10 November.

Mrs Lazzari is also visiting clients, delivering cheques, and explaining the process necessary to achieve final settlement of insurance claims.

Mrs Miller said the distribution of interim insurance payments was particularly welcome to Cayman Brac residents as they can use the funds for immediate recovery needs while insurance claims are being processed and payment balances finalised.

Damage is still being assessed for the two British American property clients on Little Cayman.

Life in other areas has begun gradually to return to normal.

Civil servants on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac were scheduled to return to work by Wednesday, 19 November, according to the Chief Secretary’s office; and the District Administration Building on the Brac was “being assessed with the health and safety of occupants and visitors in mind,” according to a Hazard Management Cayman Islands press release.

Cayman Brac Power & Light continued with restoration of the power network on both islands. Of the 264 poles damaged on Cayman Brac, 90 have been replaced. On Little Cayman, 138 poles were damaged and 30 have been replaced.

Caribbean Utilities Company is assisting with power restoration on the Brac, and has brought MasTec crews in to help on Little Cayman.

Clean-up services are also up and running.

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has reinstated its food-inspection and rodent-control programmes and debris cleanup is progressing more quickly with the repair of Cayman Brac’s tub grinder, which chews up vegetative debris. The equipment at Little Cayman’s landfill is also being repaired.

In another positive sign, the Red Cross is wrapping up its relief efforts, and is assisting with recovery by helping to clean houses and pick up debris.

However, despite the progress being made there were still some glitches to smooth over.

Due to problems with its antenna, Radio Cayman was having signal issues on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, so instead of broadcasting on its usual frequency of 93.9FM, the station can be found at 91.9 FM.

Weather problems also delayed delivery of a container of supplies to Little Cayman. However, an HMCI press release said a shipment of food, generators and small propane stoves were expected to reach the island by the middle of this week.