NRF working hard in the Brac

| 03/07/2009

(CNS): The Cayman Islands National Recovery Fund (CINRF) has raised over CI$1 million specifically for the Brac towards the repairs of homes destroyed during Hurricane Paloma and is planning to raise more. They estimate the total costs to be around CI$2.5 million. So far, the CINRF has spent some CI$700,000 on 50 properties, which averages about CI$15,000 per property. Currently the CINRF has received 212 applications on Cayman Brac with about 140 of them being approved.

So far, they have completed 50 houses in 7 months. With 90 or so more houses to go, the NRF still has a while before they are completed. When asked about how much longer the repairs will take, Director of the National Recovery Fund, Dr Mark Laskin said, “We have no firm deadline, but it is expected that we shall finish our work in the Brac before Christmas at the current rate.”

The Cayman Islands National Recovery Fund was created to help repair the Islands after natural disasters. It was established back in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan and now is being put into use again in Cayman Brac. It receives its money through charity events and donations. In order to be eligible for coverage from the NRF; the house must have had significant Paloma-related damage, the owner/occupier was not insured and he/she did not have enough income to do the necessary repairs themselves.

Jewel Scott, who lives in The Rock and whose house was damaged during the storm, said, “My roof was gone and my front porch wasn’t there.” The house was initially built in 1960 with it being expanded in 1976, and it was the newer part of the house that was destroyed, she said. The repairs were initially started by the NRF, but were then transferred into the hands of the Paloma Recovery Committee. Atlantic Star is now constructing the building. She said repairs have come along quite well; the roof is on and the front porch is there again. She currently receives electricity from her son’s house via an extension cord, which supplies the fridge, the water pumpand the washing machine. Repairs aren’t quite finished yet, but she still stays at the house during the day and sleeps at her daughter’s house during the night.

Robert Ebanks, a resident of West End whose house was damaged by the storm who is being assisted by the NRF said, “The repairs are really good. They really helped out.”

The CINRF receives help from many organizations, such as NCB Homes which donated a team of 9 workers to help the rebuilding effort in Cayman Brac. The men will be stationed in the Brac for 2 weeks, providing the Fund with invaluable skills and man hours to help re-house those who are eligible for coverage by the CINRF.

 

 

 

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  1. Big Al says:

    This is another thing that needs some serious looking into. When Mark Laskin got the job as Director, the post had been advertised at over $200,000 per year.  The Hurricane Ivan Relief on Grand Cayman still has not been completed under his directorship. EU money had to be returned because he couldn’t figure out how to use it! (eh, wha ya sa?)

    This for the most part, are donations & contributions from individuals and the corporate sector – how can we just allow it to go so?

    The Brac situation is even worse – so many old people and uninsured persons, including retired civil servants, who are not gettinbg help.

    CNS, is there any way you can request and publish some details through the Freedom of Information act?
    • Brackers, I’m waiting to hear from you on this. The silence is deafening. Or maybe the usual vocals have been recipients of the nepotic distribution of relief funds?

  2. Caymanians for Transparency says:

    When is this fund going to be audited and the result posted. how much is spent on Administration? What is the salary of the Director?? How much has been collected?? How much has been spent?? the numbers do not add up. Another Gov, Jack legacy!!!

    Where is the auditor general??

  3. There are so many stories circulating with regard to perceived  disparities in the way hurricane relief money was and is being handled in Cayman Brac.  Not necessarily the relief through the NRF but it seems to be directed more to the funds that was distributed through District Administration, i.e. funds that were allocated from Government (reserves?)

    Seems like the first to receive and those who received the most were political favourites and government employees and/or family members of ‘District Administration".  I have heard stories of many who have ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ in the bank but yet received total funding from government for their repairs and/or replacements. In one instance they say that a Government head of dept. in Grand Cayman called up District Administration and ordered them to rebuild his father’s house and it was one of the firstto be taken care of!

    Dont know how much of it is really true but given the history of nepotism and cronyism in these Islands, I find myself learning toward the side of the believers.