Hurricane Ivan
Grand Cayman
September 11, 12 & 13, 2004
One of the biggest storms ever recorded devastated the island on Saturday night
September 11th and did not let up until Monday morning September 13th. Some
reports noted sustained winds of 160mph (260km/h) with tornadic gusts of up to
225mph (360km/h). There was widespread flooding with reports that most of the
island disappeared from radar and became part of the sea during the storm.
Vegetation was overwhelmed by the wind and flooding, vehicles destroyed, and
entire residential complexes completely wiped from the face of the island.
Water supply and power was cut and is expected to take up to 3 months to
repair. Tourists are being denied entry until accommodations are repaired.
My friends and I were lucky enough to have a hurricane rated building to
hold-up in while the storm passed. We watched the carnage through thick
glass…trees being ripped out of the ground, roofs being blown off, and
flood waters rising. Upon returning to our homes after the storm, we found that
our property was not badly damaged except for my car, which was flooded too
much to repair. (my insurance did not cover hurricane damage!) We were lucky
compared to others who lost everything they had except what they brought to the
shelters.
 
From the window of our shelter, a lawyers office in a hurricane rated building.
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On the way home from the shelter...we had to drive around someones roof that
was blown into the street. |
 
Nothing left of Mariners Cove residential development. How strong do wind and
waves need to be to bend these fence posts? |
Debris from Mariners Cove swept inland. |
 
 
Windsor Village condos across the street from my place on South Sound Road were
heavilly damaged. |
The man who stayed in this house survived the storm in the entryway. |
Morritt's Tortuga Club ground floor seaside units took a hit. |
South Sound Road completely washed away. |
Crews are hard at work repairing and replacing roofs. |
A few days after the storm pasted we were told to evacuate. This is the Cayman
Airport with probably close to 1,000 people waiting for free flights to Miami.
This was a first come first served basis as there were no reservation computers
running. We waited 12 hours in the sun and 33°C heat for the first flight.
There was absolutely no organization by the authorities. It was chaos! |
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