The storm may have passed but the devastation and destruction lingers on in Grand Cayman.

Hurricane Ivan's impact on this 76 square mile Caribbean Island (normal population 45,000) must rank as the most underreported story of the season. “It's like a nuclear bomb without the radiation,” said one businessman who wanted to remain nameless.

Those Caymanians sufficiently recovered from shell shock to explain what has happened to their country typically describe what they are seeing in such terms. And it's hard to disagree - physically, and visually, the scene is apocalyptic.

Three quarters of the coastline is one endless series of ruin. Dozens of neighbourhoods have been depopulated with residents living in hurricane shelters or evacuated off the Island.

On a Saturday morning tour of about half of the Island we saw no more than about 200 people - the Government's ballpark estimates is that between eight and ten thousand people left the Island after the hurricane could be grossly understated.

Most of the evacuees left after Ivan and are yet to return perhaps because of the “fright of what happened” one woman said.

Those that stayed in their neighbourhoods are doing what they can to repair their homes and return to some semblance of normality. But it is clear that full restoration will take years without additional help.

At South Sound, an affluent neighbourhood with beachfront palatial mansions, not one house escaped severe damage. The once tree lined main road, about a mile and a half long, is denuded.

A cemetery in the area is littered with grave covers removed by the flood waters - residents reported coffins floating around the day after the storm. The same scene is repeated further down the coast at Bodden Town the subject of rumours that hundreds of corpses were unearthed by the storm.

Islandwide, just 20 bodies were retrieved and reburied, according to Environmental Health Officer Roydell Carter. Another rumour that made the rounds was that the bodies of 250 people who died in the storm were being hidden in freezers in a supermarket. That was, of course, also vigourously denied by government officials, but residents are finding it hard to reconcile the storm's fury with the official death count of just two people.

“How did no one die?” asked Sandra Forbes, a customer service representative with Cayman Airlines. “I don't understand. I don't understand.”

Ms Forbes was on her exercise walk when we spotted her, a solitary figure in a desolate place. Others we met further down the coast echoed her belief that there had to be more deaths.

To appreciate their scepticism, consider that eight-foot high waves were lashing houses 15,000 feet from the coastline. “I never thought I lived close to the sea. But obviously we all live close to the sea,” said Cayman's Chief Information Officer Patricia Ebanks. “It was kind of mind-boggling. I couldn't believe the ocean came up to my front door.”

Consider also that Ivan unleashed its wrath for a full 36 hours, and that for about four hours the vast majority of the Island was flooded. Watermarks as high as six feet can still be seen on many of the houses. And consider that about half of the Island's 14,000 registered cars have been totalled - many as a result of salt water damage, but many others from being tossed around the Island.

And in almost every neighbourhood, houses with moderate or minimal damage are in the distinct minority. “He wasn't playing,” said 43-year old heavy equipment operator James Jackson who was busy supervising repairs to his two bedroom home where he weathered the storm alone. “This is the worst one to come around this place - ever. It will take years before they get this island back together again.”

Like a significant amount of Caymanians, Mr. Jackson is uninsured and estimates his repair bill at around $14,000. “I will survive, though,” the man said. Ivan is a test of the Caymanian character and, gripes against the Government notwithstanding, most people here believe that they will pass that test with flying colours.

At the Island's first institution of higher learning, the 34-year old International College of the Cayman Islands, school officials are expecting to resume classes in January. Ivan may have pushed forward renovation and expansion plans, College president Elsa M. Cummings said. “I cannot describe it,” Dr. Cummings said when asked her reaction when she first saw the damage caused by the storm. “My mind couldn't absorb it, I just couldn't process it. It took several visits for me to realise how much damage there was.”

Four weeks later they are still assessing the damage and doing basic cleanup work. “I didn't know it would ever be like this,” said student Wyvonne Forbes. “I really didn't know the Cayman Islands would ever be like this. It was terrible.”

A group of about one dozen students, faculty and administrative staff members were hard at work on Saturday at the school which normally catered to some 500 students. “My impression from what I've heard the different politicians say is they are intent on seeing the Island rebuild itself,” Dr. Cummings said. “It's going to take a while - we cannot rebuild this Island at one time. But if we all work together on our own backyards, so to speak, we will get it done. The biggest problem is trying to keep morale up as time goes by.”

Added Brenda Dawkins, an adjunct professor at the College: “The storm has brought out the best and the worst in us. There have been some unfortunate circumstances but it's more positive than negative.”