Editorial

Now moving into its third month of operation, CIRO (the Cayman Islands Recovery Operation) has achieved some important benchmarks, as outlined this week by Manager Orrett Connor in his address to the Chamber of Commerce.

Among them: all Government schools have resumed classes disrupted by Ivan; tourists, Cayman’s bread and butter, are back; all buildings able to receive electricity are connected; some government funding is available to assist persons with uninsured damaged housing; a comprehensive debris removal programme is underway—and accelerating; and, district assistance centres are open to ensure the public’s access to information.

Next, Government is setting its mind to a massive school-rebuilding programme that will top $18 million. It is addressing temporary housing with the proposed importation of trailers. Teams of building crews are to be organized in the districts to assist the uninsured with rebuilding and repair of their homes.

Contrast all this to the horror we faced when we attempted those first tentative steps from our houses on the Monday after Ivan – water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink! Like childbirth, it is perhaps easy to forget the pain (though decidedly not the experience!), but we must never forget the lessons.

As Manager Connor told the Chamber, the greatest thing that has likely come out of Ivan are the lessons, and these we could not quite have gained other than by experience.

More resources into future disaster mitigation are currently promised. We now know how critical they are and what an investment it is, when we consider the losses to the country caused by this terrible hurricane.