Sir Michael Jay will be in the Cayman Islands this week to give formal talks and participate in informal chats.
During his time here he is scheduled to take a tour of Grand Cayman to see first-hand the damage from Hurricane Ivan almost 18 months ago.
He’ll see that the people of the Cayman Islands have rallied and for the most part have repaired their homes, businesses and lives.
But unfortunately there are still roof-less houses, abandoned vehicles, piles of debris and trash scattered throughout the island.
And it’s not just in the ‘poorer’ areas of Grand Cayman.
If Mr. Jay is taken to North Side up to Rum Point he’ll see a house valued at more than $3 million where the tar paper on the roof is flapping in the wind and the grass and weeds have grown up to be as tall as the abandoned van sitting in the yard.
On South Sound another multi-million dollar home sits exposed to the elements because the hurricane blew out all the windows, doors and the roof. Grass and trees are reclaiming their spot where the house sits, growing up through the cracked foundation.
There are still far too many sites like these throughout Grand Cayman.
Take a ride through some of the neighbourhoods. Many are littered with debris left over from the hurricane and homes sit in different stages of disrepair.
And unfortunately, some people still have to live with family members and friends because their homes haven’t been repaired.
In some cases people are still waiting for insurance settlements.
In other cases, there was no insurance in the first place and now there’s not enough money to rebuild.
We were told by the experts that it would take at least two years to rebuild.
From the looks of things, it’s going to take a lot longer than that for every home and business to be totally repaired.
Our question is, how long will Government allow these properties to sit as reminders to Ivan and as eyesores to those who pass them by daily and to those who come to our shores for holiday.
At some point these properties need to be condemned and if the owners don’t fix them up or tear them down, they need to be fined.
Mr. Jay is sure to see a lot of improvement, but he’s also sure to see much that needs to be improved.
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