Hurricane Ivan Update
May 24th 2005
We reprint the following excerpt from the "The Lund
Report", a real estate bulletin published periodically by the local Remax
franchise, as we find that it's a fairly accurate and well-balanced assessment
of Grand Cayman's recovery effort. To contact the editors, or subscribe to
their bulletin, their e-mail address is lund@candw.ky.
December 26th 2004
The Inn is now completely booked, with an ambiance like before
Hurricane Ivan. Below are the first of new photos that we're taking of all the
apartments, showing the new bedroom and living room furniture, the new
stainless-steel appliances, cabinets, fixtures, etc. Other improvements,
such as 72-channel digital TV (plus 40 music channels), more sound-proof
ceilings, higher quality patio doors and screens, etc., are less obvious.
December 15th 2004
We've just welcomed our first "post-Ivan" guests to the
Inn! Final touches continue, mainly involving some exterior painting, final
cleaning of the last apartments, and laying patio stones, but we'll be
completely full by next week. There are still a few "odds and ends"
missing, due to the huge quantity of merchandise being shipped to the island,
with warehouses in Miami and ships filled to over-capacity. But, these
items are pretty much limited to sections of eavestrough, a couple of aluminum
railings, some kitchen cabinet trim, etc., and shouldn't cause any significant
inconvenience to guests.
Phones are working again at the Inn, even though a number of island residents are still without service. Virtually all tourist attractions are back to normal operation, and the majority of restaurants have re-opened.
November 23rd 2004
Electricity was restored to the Inn yesterday evening! Wow,
what an event after two and half months!!! We broke open a bottle of champagne
to celebrate, and expect repair work to move along even faster. Hot
showers, and no more generators to maintain and refuel!!
A team of technicians are here now replacing the air-conditioning units throughout the Inn -- twelve central systems in all, and we expect A/C by the weekend. A new tower and antenna have just been installed for cable TV. And, we've upgraded all units at the Inn to 72-channel digital TV. Nice to be able to watch the news after two and half months, and the reception is super! All we're now missing are our phone lines.
November 18th 2004
Our updates haven't been too regular, but we've made enormous strides
ahead, and will definitely be ready to re-open on December 15th. Crews
from Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) have finally arrived in the village, and
we're promised electricity sometime next week. Upper-floor ceilings have
been painted and new electrical and plumbing fixtures are being installed, as
are replacement doors and cabinets. New and improved furniture and appliances
have arrived in port, and will be delivered to the Inn after we repaint all
interior wall.
A CUC crew working on a utility pole in front of the Inn; masonry
restoration on the beach is almost complete.
With ten masons and helpers brought in from Jamaica (including the foreman who led the original construction of the Inn), the poolhouse, pool deck, rear patios and terrace have been rebuilt, and will be completely finished and repainted by the end of next week -- and we've added an outdoor shower stall, with hot and cold water.We expect to have the pool ready for a dip within a week, and to concentrate on the landsdcaping after that. We're also happy to say that our insurance claim has finally been settled (to our satisfaction), and that our Suzuki is back from the shop!
October 25th 2004
All missing clay tiles have been replaced, and our roof is now
completely repaired -- and stronger than ever! As well, all damaged floors have
been repaired, and all upper-floor ceilings are replaced and being prepared for
paint. New appliances have arrived in port, and we're expecting a shipment
later this week of electrical and plumbing fixtures, interior doors and other
supplies so that our electricians, plumbers and carpenters can start the
finishing touches. And, work on the rear patios, pool deck, poolhouse, etc.
should begin within a few days. Our beach received an initial cleaning a few
days ago, and the property is starting to resemble pre-Ivan days.
A worker putting the final touches to the clay tile roof (Photo
TNI)
We've still received no settlement from the insurance company, but they have been advancing us partial sums so that repair work can move ahead towards our December 15th re-opening. We have received payment from our car insurance company though, and our Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 is finally in the shop being repaired.
Several CUC (Caribbean Utilities Company) crews are working their way east on the main road, repairing and replacing utility poles, and are now passed the Red Bay area. We're still being promised electricity before December 1st.
October 8th 2004
A major step ahead last night -- the Inn has city water again,
and we had our first real showers since September 11th! After being deprived of
them for so long, it's incredible how enjoyable are such conveniences of daily
life normally taken for granted -- like toilets that flush without having to lug
in a pail of water! Repairs at the Inn -- and on the island in general -- are
progressing rapidly, and a second generator received today will help with power
tools and other equipment.
Repairs to our clay-tile roof are more than half done, ceramic tiles are being laid in two areas of our floor where the old ones lifted because of flooding, and drywall has arrived for repairs to our ceilings. All other required material, appliances, furniture, etc. are ordered and expected to arrive on the island within a week or two.
Most of Grand Cayman now has city water, and electricity has been re-established in and around George Town, where life appears pretty much back to normal except for a few waiting lines at some stores and banks. Government-commissioned bulldozers have been in Bodden Town for the last two days, and have done a superb job of cleaning up most of the debris from Ivan.
The numerous broken untility poles between the George Town area and Bodden Town remain a major obstacle in terms of power, but we're told that repair crews will be up to the Inn within four or five weeks, with electricity and phone lines re-established shortly after. We're more confident than ever of our December 15th re-opening!
Sepember 28th 2004
Well, we, our staff, and our pets are alive and well -- as are the nine
guests who stayed at the Inn through the ordeal of Ivan, a category five
hurricane, and one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the world. The
Inn has suffered damage, mainly from water which came in through the roof, but
the basic structure stood up well to Ivan's devastating onslaught. Most
damage incurred is to peripheral structures like our patios and terrace, pool
deck, and poolhouse. Reports of our disappearance, demise, loss of our roof,
etc., are grossly exaggerated, and confirm the theory that rumours are born
after a hurricane as fast as the winds of the cyclone itself, and bred by the
lack of communications.
Fortunately, we're insured, and we currently plan to welcome guests again as of December 15th 2004, with all accommodations and facilities as presented at this website. Clean-up and repairs at the Inn are already underway. And, although this estimate is of course subject to the island-wide re-establishment of electrical and water supply, this work is advancing quickly with the help of hundreds of workers from elsewhere in the Caribbean and from North America.
Some of the numerous houses in Bodden Town that were destroyed
(Photos TNI)
We know that guests booked for arrival as of September 11th are concerned about monies paid to us and their vacation plans, especially as they've been unable to contact us by e-mail or phone. Communication with Grand Cayman was completely cut off, and cellular service is now fairly reliable. But, we can assure all those booked at our Inn, at Sea Spray Cottage, and at On the Bay, that they'll suffer no financial loss at all.
For all guests reserved at the Inn with arrival prior to December 15th 2004, you can, as several guests had done in the days just before Ivan hit, re-book your stay for anytime in the future, subject only to availability and current seasonal rates, and 100% of what you've paid will be applied to the new reservation. Should this option be suitable, please let us know as soon as possible by e-mail to marleine@caymanhotels.com . You need not include your new dates which can be sent along anytime during the next six months -- i.e., by March 15th 2005 -- and your credit at the Inn is guaranteed.
The second choice available to these guests is to request a full refund of all monies paid by sending us an e-mail to alain@caymanhotels.com . As soon as electricity and phone service are re-established in our area, our credit card terminal will be operational, and we'll process the refund to the same credit card that was used for your (most recent) payment. Obviously, we'd be delighted by your "vote of confidence" in choosing the first option, which would put less of a strain on our financial resources -- but the choice is yours.
 On the eve of Ivan, with shutters in place. |
 On September 13th, the morning after. |
 Our re-opening, on December 15th 2004. (Photos by Dave Pex & TNI) |
We'd also like to inform the above guests that balances due as of September 13th (i.e., for arrivals that were scheduled as of November 13th) have not and will not be processed to your credit card. For the moment of course, this is academic, since our credit card terminal is not operational, and probably won't be for a while.
For all guests reserved at the Inn with arrival on December 15th 2004 or later, we encourage you to keep your reservation as it is, with our assurance that we'd advise you well in advance should your accommodations -- or the island in general -- not be expected to be ready in time. But, the government has just confirmed in a public message that Grand Cayman will be ready to welcome visitors back within six weeks. The alternative is to delay your stay by booking any later dates, subject only to availability and current seasonal rates, and 100% of what you've paid will be applied to the new reservation.
Neevil McCoy's store, across from the Inn, is destroyed, and a
local barber shop close by lost its roof (Photos TNI)
Should you opt to re-book, please let us know as soon as possible at marleine@caymanhotels.com , even if you haven't chosen your new dates. This will allow us to make your current accommodations available to others. We would however need to receive your new dates no later than thirty-five days before your presently scheduled arrival.
Two more points of information. Firstly, we ask you all to insert your reservation number as the "Subject" of your e-mail message. Secondly, all of the above applies equally to those who have booked at On the Bay Condos and Sea Spray Cottage. And, whether booked at the Inn, the Condos, or the Cottage, please use only the above e-mail addresses to inform us of your decision -- not the submission form at our website.
Wave surges of about 30' swept around the building, threw rental
cars into each other, but the Inn is intact (Photos by Dave Pex)
We've been deeply touched and uplifted by all your attempts to contact us to find out how we're doing, and are certain that you understand our inability to get back to you individually. This is especially true in regards to all those Inn "regulars" who have stayed here two or more times, and have over the years become our friends.
Amy and Doug Pullman, honeymooners at the Inn in December 2001,
enjoying a meal on the deck of "The Edge",
recently transformed into "Palm Beach". All that's left of the deck
are the white pilings, with the restaurant just a
heap of rubble. The local dining spot had been around for more than 20
years (Photos by the Pullmans and TNI)
We don't as yet know when phone/e-mail communication will be re-established, but we'd very much appreciate if you'd limit contact to e-mail, and keep the number and length of messages to a minimum. We expect our mail servers to soon be at capacity, and then begin to return incoming messages. As soon as we can, we'll start "attacking" what we expect to be a massive backlog of e-mail, and we'll do our very best to reply in a timely fashion.
Two more views of what remains of "Palm Beach",
previously "The Edge" (Photos TNI)
And, once we're able to more easily update our website, we'll add a full report on Hurricane Ivan, with photos taken by some of the guests who stuck with us during this disaster. We extend our most sincere thanks to these brave women and men -- Dave, Tomas, Harlee, Natalie, Terry, Sarah, Keith, Tatyana, and Peter -- whose help during the storm and immediately after, was indispensable.
Marleine and Alain
