Some power has been restored to Little Cayman with about a mile of poles and wires replaced and operational from the power plant as far as the Southern Cross hotel, according to Larry Foster, district officer for the island.
However, there is still no power in the village, and Mr. Foster estimated it would take at least until the weekend for poles to be replaced.
‘There are no poles into the village. All the poles are down and wires have been pulled down. We only have two linesmen here working on it, hoping for more to arrive. We’re waiting to get some more help,’ he said.
Ernie Scott, the Sister Islands district commissioner arrived in Little Cayman Tuesday morning and was touring the island to assess the damage sustained in Hurricane Paloma, which slammed into the island on Saturday.
Roads on Little Cayman have been cleared and people have been able to return to their homes to check for damage. The island’s water supply was not affected, Mr. Scott said.
Some rooms at the Southern Cross hotel were damaged, but its owner Peter Hillenbrand said it would re-open for guests on Sunday.
Relief supplies have reached Little Cayman and more are expected tomorrow morning as a barge bringing supplies from Cayman Brac, another boat with emergency supplies, and a vessel carrying gasoline are due to arrive.
‘We have some diesel, and we’re waiting for more gasoline. Everyone filled up before the storm and rushed to get gas beforehand. Afterwards, there was bout 200 to 250 gallons left, but that’s running out,’ said Mr. Foster.
Edward Bodden airport is open and flights are arriving and leaving.
Mr. Scot said flights were available to take passengers who wanted to evacuate the island to Grand Cayman for free.
‘We have flights coming in so anyone who wants to get out can get out. It’s not the regular schedule. All the tourists have gone and some residents. Some more residents want to stay here and aren’t ready to go yet. They want to look after their homes and so forth,’ he added.
Little Cayman resident Robert Walker said his home had escaped damage and the biggest problem facing islanders was the lack of electricity.
‘There are a lot of poles down. I don’t know if they have enough spare poles on the island as they lost so many in Gustav,’ he said.
Mr. Walker left Little Cayman for Grand Cayman on a flight that also stopped at Cayman Brac to pick up passengers Tuesday morning.
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