Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of the Hurricane Ivan, and several events and commemorations are being held this week throughout Grand Cayman.
These include the publication by the Cayman Compass of a special 104-page supplement, inserted free in Thursday’s newspaper, that will give a substantive account of the storm, personal stories, the damage the hurricane wrought, and the recovery Grand Cayman has made over the past decade.
Also to mark the anniversary, Hazard Management Cayman Islands is hosting a two-day symposium that looks at the impact of the storm and its aftermath. The symposium, “After the Storm – A Retrospective of Ivan” will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at the Westin Casuarina Resort. It will feature speakers from the National Hurricane Center in Miami and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, among others.
Meanwhile, the work of photographers who captured the devastation of Hurricane Ivan and the island’s recovery is on display at the National Gallery as part of a new exhibition, “Ivan Remembered,” which opened on Saturday.
The exhibition consists of more than 45 photographs, interspersed with quotes from the public recalling their experiences during and after Hurricane Ivan.
Gallery curator Natalie Urquhart explained in a press release, “While it has been ten years since the storm passed, most of us continue to have strong, emotion-laden memories associated with Ivan and its aftermath, so we felt it was important to commemorate the anniversary via this exhibition. This is really a ‘part two’ of the ‘Emergence’ exhibition that we hosted soon after Ivan in 2004. It is a closure of sorts.” Among the photographers whose work is being displayed are Courtney Platt, David Wolfe, Sheree Ebanks, Julie Corsetti, Mary McCallum, Jenna Arnold, Darvin Ebanks, Norman Linton, Leslie Alcott Williams and Art Pasquali.
The exhibition also showcases a short film, created by the National Gallery and Monster Media as part of the 2004 ‘Emergence’ exhibition, which features interviews of local artists and was filmed shortly after Ivan.
The gallery will also host Ivan-related events throughout the month, including “Sharing Stories with Courtney Platt” on Sept. 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. a free family event on Sept. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; “Late Night at the Gallery” on Sept. 26 from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and documentary film screenings of “Trouble the Water” on Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., as well as self-guided family activity worksheets for all ages throughout the duration of the exhibition.
On TV, there will also be plenty of coverage of the storm. Throughout this week on Cayman 27’s Daybreak, survivors of the storm share their memories and stories. Cayman 27 is also showing its documentary “36 Hours in September,” which first aired in 2005. That will be shown at 11.55 p.m. on September 11, and again Sept. 13 and 15.
Also on Cayman 27, a documentary called “CUC Presents ‘The Power of the People,’ which looks back at the challenges and success of getting electricity back to homes and businesses across Grand Cayman, will be aired on Friday, at 7:30 p.m., with repeats on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Radio Cayman is airing a 90-minute feature, “In the Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Ivan – The Struggle, the Sacrifice, the Strength” on Thursday and Friday night at 7 p.m. Also on Radio Cayman, Loxley Banks will host a round table discussion to mark the 10th anniversary on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
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