Photos

This is the second in my series showing the effects of Hurricane Ivan.

Today's picture is a typical scene of housing in Grand Anse, the main resort area of the island. These dwellings are on a small hill to the south of the town and overlook the bay. They are all currently abandoned.

This level of destruction is common in this part of the island. Roofs are missing and the rooms are exposed to the elements. I was told that during the hurricane, the strong winds whipped the corrugated iron away leaving the buildings open and when it had passed the torrential rain started, which drenched everything that was then unprotected.

On the grass in the middle of the picture is a large pile of debris. Everywhere I went across the island I found this, where people had tidied damaged items into neat stacks waiting for it to be cleared. The most sobering thing was to see that the most common item in these piles were roofing panels.

My guide lived just over the hill from here in a place called Limes which was also very badly hit. He considered himself lucky in just losing his roof. His father's house was demolished completely. But not to be left homeless he constructed a plywood hut as temporary shelter until a more permanent residence could be built.

More tomorrow.

Jonathan.