Grand Cayman, 19 August 2021:
In a video message to the country today, Premier Hon. Wayne Panton outlined local recovery efforts following the passage of Tropical Storm Grace through the Cayman Islands.
The Premier discussed the inclusion of Opposition members in the national clean-up effort, and encouraged a spirit of collaboration throughout the community in the days ahead.
Good afternoon,
I am happy to be able to speak with you today about our combined efforts to clean up our Islands following the storm that ravaged us, Grace.
This morning I and the members of the PACT Government met with members of the Opposition to work out the way forward in cleaning up the debris left by the storm in phase one of our actions and working toward phase two in which we will assess and offer repairs to damaged homes.
Despite the damages from Grace, we are certainly graced in the fact that we have had no loss of life. She left us a mess, but messes can be cleaned up.
If possible to save plant life, I would urge you to do so. I know of many mango, pear and neem trees that looked like a total loss after Hurricane Ivan but were pruned and cared for and re-established that bear much fruit and are lush green today. It is much easier to build upon that which we have than to start from scratch.
And so we ask each home and business owner to do their part in helping us clean up our Islands. If you have waste vegetation we are asking that you take the remnants of downed trees, vegetation and green waste to the following areas:
- The area across the dock at Old Man Bay in North Side;
- The East End Civic Centre
- The Crown Property on Anton Bodden Road near Lookout Gardens
- The NRA stockpile site on Poindexter Road near Prospect Primary School
- West Bay Stadium
- The George Town Landfill
- Landfills on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac
If you cannot make it to a drop site, please put the vegetation at the side of the road of your home – being careful not to block the road – and DEH crews will be mobilized to collect the refuse next week.
There is a debris management team in place that can help you with your green waste. Please call the Department of Environmental Health at 949-6696, 925-6593 or online at DEHcustomerservice@gov.ky
I again take this opportunity to thank everyone who worked hard – many through the night – to get us back up and running.
Thank you to the team of CUC for getting power to most of us so quickly. The majority of customers across Grand Cayman now have their power restored and all power line feeders are back on. There are still about 3,300 customers – about 10 per cent of CUC’s customer base – without power in various pockets on Grand Cayman and they are assured by CUC of being hooked back up by 8pm today.
As we go through recovery from the storm, I ask that you continue to check on your neighbours and work in a collaborative effort just as your elected members are doing. We cannot fix the issues left to us by Grace without working together.
I thank God that lives were spared and that we are able to face a new day in the spirit of love and brotherhood. May God continue to bless us and our beloved Cayman Islands.