By Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter
Houses destroyed by 'Ivan' as it ripped through a section of Grand Cayman.
- ANDREW SMITH/Photography Editor
THE GOVERNMENT of the Cayman Islands has temporarily relaxed work permit regulations in a bid to attract workers to fill vacancies created after some persons fled the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.
"Right now we don't want anymore people to leave, we want them to stay and help with the recovery process," Patricia Ebanks, head of the Government Information Service in Grand Cayman, told The Gleaner.
"People who had work permits before and lost their jobs after the hurricane are being allowed to find jobs in other areas. The Government is trying to make it as easy as possible to get work permits right now to facilitate people who are needed to do recovery work," she said.
Ms. Ebanks explained that several categories of workers such as labourers, sanitation workers and health care and environment personnel are all needed. Some teachers also left the island before the hurricane, leaving a tentative gap in that sector.
MANY MORE ARE NEEDED
"Many teachers have left but we are hoping that they have left temporarily as many more are needed," said Ms. Ebanks, who noted that there are now only 175 teachers currently registered for the reopening of schools on October 30.
In the meantime, the information head said electricity and water have been restored to the business sector and the essential services in and around George Town, Grand Cayman. Work is also progressing on West Bay Road, which is the tourist strip in that area. She noted also that several experts and other workers have been brought in by utility companies to assist in the recovery process. It is estimated that most areas in Grand Cayman will have electricity within the next three weeks.
There are some 900 persons still in 13 shelters across the country and the government is working feverishly to get those persons back into their homes. Some 3,100 persons were in shelters during the hurricane.
"What Government is doing now is going around to persons in these shelters and finding out how much it will cost to fix their homes because many of them did not have insurance," said Ms. Ebanks. She explained that the government is trying to establish all the legitimate claims as quickly as possible and clear the shelters. Some persons are also reported to be in office buildings.
