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... story continued from Part 1
Monday morning was like no other. We ventured out of the house with the rain still pouring, in the only vehicle working. First impressions of this beautiful island were that it had been bombed. Electricity poles were everywhere with wires strewn across the road, roofs off houses, whole sides of buildings gone and cars piled into walls. The petrol pumps at the gas station had been all blown over whilst the roof had been peeled completely off. Trees were blown over and what was left of those that remained were just bare branches. 'Winter in Cayman' summed it up, no leaves and the sand on the roads looked like snow. We drove as far as we could, passing people we knew and asking if they were ok. People had a look of total disbelief on their faces. The road in Bodden Town had been demolished by the waves and the sand from the beach had been deposited in huge piles over what was left. Whole palm trees blocked the way as well as what was left of peoples houses. Even the graveyard had been badly damaged and there were reports of graves having been exhumed and coffins taken into the Police station.
We walked the rest of the way, climbing over the debris and wreckage. We passed a friends house which had been gutted by the sea. All that remained was a skeleton of a house. We spotted our friends surfboard under piles of rubble and saw Brads kayak at the other side of the road split down the side. Brads house still had the roof on and as we got closer and realised it was ok he punched the air in a victory salute. All his babys clothes and photos were ok and although flooded the house was ok. Mary Rose's house was also ok, downstairs had been demolished by the sea but their living quarters upstairs were fine.
Next - to our house. Manse Road was a stunning place to live, set back off the main road with palms and bougainvillea trees colourfully lining the beautiful little beach houses. It had been transformed into total carnage. I stopped when I saw a neighbour who just shook her head. I asked her if her dogs were ok and she nodded. I had to walk the rest of the way. It would take a bulldozer to clear the road later for vehicle access. Whole houses were just piles of rubble or worse still, only the concrete foundations remained where the sea had claimed the rest.
As I walked down the road my legs were weak with nervous anticipation. From a distance I could see part of the roof of our house and for one glorious moment I thought it would be ok, but as I got nearer the whole front of the house was gone. The waves had taken away the shrubbery, destroyed the deck, smashed the living room wall down and penetrated the rest of the house and had stripped the kitchen cupboards clean off the wall. All that remained of the roof was the part I'd seen from the road it barely covered the garage and half of our bedroom.
Before and after shots of our house at Manse Road
I still close my eyes, two week on and can't believe what has happened. We rented our house but this hasn't made the loss of it any easier. Financially maybe, but it was our marital home and at least our memories will live on.
Looters had already been through the house and it was still only 8:30 am. They had been looking for money and jewellery and it sickened me that people could do this when times were going to be hard for all of us. Grand Cayman prides itself with having one of the lowest crime rates in the world.
So I packed one bag of salvageable belongings and headed to our boat, which we do own and which holds the key to our future. We've planned a round the world sailing trip on our 32 foot bluewater cruiser called 'Kilifi'. Our wedding gifts were all contributions towards a our cruising fund and we planned to set sail in January 2006 head to the Panama Canal, to the Galapagos Islands and then across the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia, then who knows.
I had wanted to see the house and the boat with Peter but he was still working and I had no way of contacting him so all I could do was to gather information and relay it to him later. I caught a ride and met David and Alice cutting their way out of their driveway. I hugged my surrogate parents hard and looked at them with expectant eyes. "She's fine" David told me and I ran to see Kilifi looking a little bruised, but all in one piece. I kissed her bow and climbed on board. Even her instrument covers remained on her. If I had ever had any misgivings about sailing her round the world they vanished in an instant, she'd just survived a Category 5 hurricane and appeared indestructible.
Kilifi after Ivan
Down below some of our things had been thrown onto the floor where we'd not secured them. This had happened when the water rose so high she had landed on the dock and beached herself, she'd then broke through the dock and slid back into the water still held by the hurricane lines Peter had secured her with. Phar Lap, David and Alice's boat, had done the same but had not been as fortunate and remains beached half out of the water.
Before the storm Peter and I had put some of our treasured belongings onboard. Praying that she'd be ok unless a much larger vessel would plough into her. I had taken family and wedding photographs off our bedroom walls and put them in a bag along with my wedding dress. Peter had put his collection of ships chronometers and his fishing rods below and they were all fine.
Elated, I borrowed Alice's bike and peddled eagerly into town to find my much missed husband. The traffic was backed up and I past the carnage of whole apartment blocks spread across the road and multi million dollar homes with their contents ripped from within. Some cars where upside down and boats laid on lawns. The most surreal sight was a jet ski in a tree 10 feet off the ground. Town was badly flooded but I managed to pedal my way through and just about ran through the Red Cross building to be swept up in a tearful reunion with my new husband. After a we'd hugged and kissed and I had talked non-stop about the house and Kilifi, Peter took me outside to show me our truck. It was under a huge 8 ton container which had been swept across the road narrowly missing the building but completely writing off our only vehicle. Amazingly it didn't burst the tyres or break the chassis but we certainly wont be driving it again.
The next few days were a blur of shock and survival. We salvaged as much as we could from our house and thanks to Brad we have a roof over our head. We consider ourselves very lucky. Three people lost their lives, which for an island with a population of 41,000 is a miracle.
Stories from our friends' ordeals have filtered out. People in shelters having to be roped together and risk their lives in the brutal winds to get to another shelter. Friends putting their life vests on, huddling in a group and floating 2 feet below the ceilings in their own house. Harrowing tales of a couple trapped up to their necks in their car after their house was destroyed. They kept coming up for breath and saying their goodbyes before deciding to risk swimming for it, only to brake the handle when trying to wind down the window. Just as they thought they would certainly drown, the windows smashed and they took their chances swimming into the mountainous waves. A neighbour reached down from his house and swept them to safety.
27,000 people have left the island. Most will return when we have power and running water once again. 95% of property was damaged, 25% totally destroyed. The Water Sports industry has been suspended for 2-3 months. Schools are closed until further notice and some won't reopen at all having sustained irreparable damage.
Everyone has their tale to tell. The community is bonding together and there is no doubt we all have to search deep within to get through these hard times. We have a curfew in place to try and reduce the looting and to allow emergency vehicles through. I'm typing this in the dark with a few mosquitoes buzzing around in 90 degrees of heat. We bathe in the sea and rinse with the rainwater we collect. It's kind of like camping. Our dogs play happily, thankful for a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, seemingly oblivious to all they have been through.
Our sailing trip, which may seem like a hardship to some, will feel like luxury for us. A flushing toilet, a fridge and fans to cool us are all just around the corner. The thought of bringing our trip forward a year is very tempting, but at the moment Peter is busy with the Red Cross and I am teaching a home schooling programme. I'm also doing volunteer work with the Red Cross, helping people but also this way I get to see more of my husband. It's certainly not the way I imagined my first weeks of marriage to be, but we adapted our marriage vows to reflect the ocean. On the 31st July 2004 we vowed our love would be as dependable as the ocean and that we would weather the storms of life together.
See some more photos at www.photobox.co.uk
News article from BBC about coping after the hurricane
Half a year
29-08-2007, 01:20 GMT
First 4 months
20-06-2007, 15:22 GMT
Its a girl!!!!!
23-02-2007, 18:00 GMT
Gringo Bay
Leg 2 / Day 76
N15°45.21', W088°50.49'
27-01-2006, 18:00 GMT
The Rio Dulce then becomes a large lake called 'El Gofete' meaning The Little Gulf. There are many b...
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