Hurricane Paloma Caused Significant Damage to Cayman Brac

Grand Cayman and Little Cayman largely escaped the wrath of Hurricane Paloma, but tiny Cayman Brac took a direct hit from the storm, Cayman Islands tourism officials say. "Cayman Brac was directly impacted by the storm and sustained significant damage," according to the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. "Tourism properties there are undergoing assessment and recovery efforts." More than 90 percent of the buildings on Cayman Brac were reportedly damaged in the storm, although the airport on the "sister island" has now reopened and cleanup is underway.

Meanwhile, the Cuban city of Santa Cruz del Sur was hit by Category 3 winds and a 20-foot storm surge when Paloma made landfall. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and significant flooding was reported. However, the consensus is that Hurricanes Ike and Gustav were far more damaging to Cuba; a fellow journalist who recently returned from a trip to the island reported that food -- especially fresh fruit and vegetables -- was scarce even in the tourist hotels as a result of the storms, which ripped through some of Cuba's prime agricultural areas.

At least the calendar says it's nearly mid-November, meaning the busy 2008 hurricane season is nearly over, although the National Hurricane Center still has one possible storm on its radar screen east of Puerto Rico...

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