email from my mom in Canada after she heard from my sister who s in Grand cayman

[GlenandVal]

Hello...... She phoned me at noon today and I received some more news of the hurricane which I am sure nobody would have heard. The cleanup seems to be going ahead, but the government would prefer that those people not essential leave the islands. They will not have power restored for about a month at least, the water sanatation plants (2) are going to be working as soon as they can, but the generators running them now are not strong enough. Getting people off the island at this point is going slowly because of the runway there being so narrow and treacherous. Other airlines are nervous about coming or going there. Buying bottled water for all their needs is actually very costly and doesn't really work. Can you imagine trying to wash your hair in a half pint of water?

 

She said that in some places sewage was 6 feet deep, and bodies from the graveyards were floating down the streets, thus making some people think that there had been casualties. She thinks most people have been accounted for, but that is still uncertain. West Bay Road seems to have fared better than most places, but the Lime Tree area where she lives did suffer quite a lot of damage. Of course their freezers have all thawed, so last night she and her husband invited as many people as they could over for a bangup barbecue to celebrate the fact that they lived through Hurricane Ivan.

 

She said that the ocean actually met in the centre of the island, though when they peeked through a knothole in the plywood covering their windows, they at first thought it was rainwater, but it was the ocean (high tide as well as the hurricane) which came up within a dozen ft. of their front door and 4 ft. of the back door. If they had realized that fact they may have panicked! One of the tall ships ended up on the golf course behind the Hyatt, a yacht was blown onto someone/s front lawn, boats and cars were on top of each other. On a lighter note, she said she and her husband drove past a bar without a roof yesterday afternoon and saw people at the counter drinking warm beer! Part of the reason they want people to leave is the polution and potential for the spread of disease. Part is because of a water and power shortage, which is going to go on for quite a while. She said that while her husband's truck does not have a roof anymore , it was still driveable,and they did want to see what was going on over the rest of Georgetown. South Sound suffered, and the Hyatt was evacuated, but not until 6 hrs. before the storm struck. So as soon as they can get enough Cayman airways carriers to do the job they will begin evacuating people.

 

I know it must be pretty wild there because she would try and withold the facts from me, though she does know we are reading the news. They certainly don't tell us everything, do they? They had the ceilings in the condo they own cave in, from the weight of the rain, and the condo they used to live in was swept right out to sea, so I am glad they moved from that one!

 

They are hoping their trailor is okay in Florida, for they will be living in it for a couple of weeks once they find out.

 

Anyway, that's the scoop. Apart from having a fish fall from their ceiling, She said everything was a s good as can be expected. She said she would call from Florida as soon as they get there. I hope you have heard from your sister, since that one time too. Even if they don't have a great deal of news to tell you, at least you feel good that you hear from them. The restaurant is not in good shape, as they forgot to board up one end, and they got 10 feet of water in it, but they are okay and that's the main concern. Val, ......your sister is her same self, but maybe not quite so fearless as she once was. At any rate, I do believe she is thinking that living on an island, while being romantic usually, does lose some of it's charm in a hurricane!

 

Love, Mom

[johnlcruise]

Thanks for the up-date.

VERY interesting.

I love Grand Cayman and my heart goes out to all the people there.

I guess we wont be stopping there in Oct. on our cruise.

John

[GlenandVal]

i was there once for the day off a crusie and loved it there my fave port that may be ages now for anyone to enjoy that place

but am glad people survived