There is excellent news coming out of Little Cayman today.
Just about all the resorts there are on track, or are getting on track, to reopen to visitors.
It appears normalcy is quickly returning to the smallest of the Cayman Islands.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said of Cayman Brac, which is in recovery mode.
Hurricane Paloma delivered a devastating blow to Cayman Brac’s tourism infrastructure.
Owners of resorts and hotels there will now find themselves in a position to improve on the product they had before Paloma. It’s one of the perks of hurricanes like Paloma and Ivan – they give business owners an opportunity to make needed changes and improvements.
Most of the buildings on the Brac received some damage and just about all will require some kind of repair.
What the damage has shown us is that many of the destroyed buildings on Cayman Brac were constructed from inferior materials and many were not up to the Cayman Islands building code.
It is our hope that everyone faced with the daunting task of rebuilding will pay attention to and follow the building code.
We believe that it is because the building code was enforced after Hurricane Ivan obliterated Grand Cayman in 2004 that many of our structures are able to withstand high winds.
While those tasked with rebuilding may not want to adhere to the building code because it will slow down recovery, we believe they must adhere to the code to ensure similar devastation doesn’t befall the Brac in any future storms.
Too, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac are part of the Cayman Islands. It is only fair that residents and businesses there meet the same standards as those on Grand Cayman.
In the long run, building to code or even beyond is good for the entire country as it cuts down on property damage, which in turn affects insurance rates.
We implore homeowners and business owners to invest in hurricane straps and other building materials that help prevent damage from major storms.
It’s not only safe; it’s the right thing to do.
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