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CB & LC Update: 2:30pm, Wednesday, 19 November

Published 19th November, 6:39pm

Hazard Management Cayman Islands’ Joint Communications Services

CB & LC Update: 2:30pm, Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Little Cayman Pulls Together

  1. Little Cayman Power Warriors: Only hours after Paloma’s worst winds died down, Little Cayman’s two resident linesmen were out assessing the damage. Undaunted by 138 downed and damaged power poles on the island, Waide Moore and Philburn ‘Bujo’ Ayton rolled up their sleeves and got down to work. Busy from dawn to dusk, the team managed to restore power to Southern Cross Club just two days after the storm. CUC has since joined the linesmen in their recovery effort and power was restored to Little Cayman Beach Resort today (Wednesday). Power is expected to be back up at the Village Square, Paradise Villas and the airport before the end of this week.

  2. Generator Generosity Praised: Brief but emphatic, Little Cayman’s oldest resident Mrs Mirilda (Rilly) Ebanks (91) thanked government for providing an on-loan generator so that she and husband Jack, also 91, could restore power to their home’s appliances. "My home is where I am happy," she said of the loan that allowed the couple to return from the Little Cayman shelter to their comfortable home next to the Edward Bodden airfield. That generator was part of a shipment of ten that Little Cayman received from the Cayman Brac Command Centre. Other recipients of these on-loan items included the Little Cayman Clinic, the District Administration Office, and the airport.

  3. Food Samaritans: Acting on calls from residents in the wake of Paloma, Little Cayman Nurse Mary-Allen Cutts and Conch Club Divers’ Anne Walther gathered government relief supplies and donated groceries to distribute food packs. Although the store at Village Square has plenty of canned goods and bottled water, reduced opening hours and limited banking (no electricity) makes it harder to obtain necessities, explained Nurse Cutts. However, three ADRA personnel did arrive yesterday (Tuesday) bringing some 787 lbs of food and water for local distribution. They will set-up in the Little Cayman Shelter. And once power is restored and the weather allows the landing of fresh supplies, things should return to normal.

  4. A Family Business: Neither the lack of power at the Edward Bodden Airfield nor the loss of the Fire Station’s truck canopy deters Little Cayman’s Scott family from ensuring that flights resume in safety. Fire man Marc Scott mans the fire truck, his wife and Cayman Airways Customer Service Agent Siobhan checks in passengers, and CAL Ramp Agent Jerry Scott, Mark’s younger brother, handles the baggage. "It’s all in a day’s work," they said smiling.

    5. Cayman Brac Community Advisories

    1. National Recovery Fund Sets up Shop on the Brac: The Cayman Islands National Recovery Fund (NRF) now has an office on Cayman Brac. Located next to the Spot Bay distribution centre in Max Plaza (locally know as Julia McLaughlin’s Plaza), residents will be able to apply for financial assistance at the same time they go to pick up supplies. Office hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm, and NRF staff will be on hand to help people complete the forms.

    2. Children and Family Services’ Needs Assessments: As of yesterday (Tuesday, 18 November) the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) completed 148 individual needs assessments on Cayman Brac. Of that number, 91 households are uninsured, 31 are insured, and for the remaining 26, the insurance status is unknown. From Monday, 24 November, persons with specific needs assessments enquiries should report directly to the DCFS office on Cayman Brac. Call 949-2331 or 2332.

    3. Cayman Brac High to Open Soon: The Education Department is hopeful that Cayman Brac High School’s Year 11 and 12 students will be able to return to class by Friday this week. The other years will follow as electricity is restored. At the primary school level, the recovery effort will be focusing on West End Primary, which will hopefully be ready to reopen by the end of next week.

    For further information contact: Cornelia Oliver