Damage is being assessed on Cayman Brac after a night of rough seas wreaked havoc, with Little Cayman also being impacted.
District Commissioner Mark Tibbetts, in an interview with the Cayman Compass Tuesday afternoon, said the north portion of the Port Authority building on the Brac had partially collapsed following the battering by waves overnight.
He said no one was in the building at the time.
The port was also impacted by the large waves that were powered by a high-pressure area behind a cold front that moved east of the Cayman Islands overnight.
Images out of the Brac show mangled containers and debris in the Port Authority compound.
All three islands felt the force of the rough seas and high winds.
Tibbetts said Little Cayman’s north coast was also battered.
“There’s been a number of private homes that have received some minor damage from flooding in the Sister Islands. There’s also a couple of business establishments that has also received damage as well,” he said, adding that emergency teams were continuing their assessments.
Videos circulating on social media show major damage to popular watering hole Bussey’s at La Esperanza Bar and Restaurant in Cayman Brac, which was flooded by sea surges.
As of Tuesday afternoon, aerial assessments were being conducted using the police helicopter, Hazard Management Cayman Islands officials confirmed.
At that time, large waves were still reportedly affecting the north coast of Little Cayman, including the government dock.
Tibbetts said there had been some blocked roads on Cayman Brac, but most of them had been cleared.
“As usual, the community spirit is alive and well,” he said, as residents have been helping each other.
The National Weather Service has extended its marine warning through Wednesday as rough seas were set to continue overnight.
It said that the high pressure behind a cold front that moved east of the Cayman Islands overnight will continue to produce strong-to-near-gale-force winds over Cayman through Tuesday night.
“Marine conditions are forecasted to be extremely rough. A marine warning remains in effect through to tomorrow morning. All marine vessels should remain in safe harbor until further notice,” it said.
Waves heights are expected to be 8-10 feet Tuesday night, dropping to 7-9 feet Wednesday.
A further decline in wave heights is expected Wednesday afternoon with 5 to 7-foot waves, and 4 to 6 foot waves by the evening.
North to northwest winds are forecast to persist at 20 to 25 knots, with higher gusts, on Tuesday evening, with speeds reducing on Wednesday.
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