Officials on Grand Bahama moved hastily on Monday to set up centres to accommodate hundreds of people who were left homeless in West End, Grand Bahama because of mass hurricane related devastation.
One unconfirmed report estimated that thousands of people were actually displaced because of severe storm surges and colossal flooding.
CAPTION: This is the scene officials met when they landed at the Grand Bahama International Airport Monday. (Photo by Omar Barr
Prime Minister Perry Christie and his delegation of cabinet ministers and other officials travelled to Grand Bahama yesterday to view the damage for themselves.
Grand Bahama, in the northern Bahamas, is considered one of the ﾠislands hardest hit by furious Hurricane Frances which lingered here for four days.
ﾓThe bad news is that the damage to infrastructure and personal property could no doubt amount to millions and millions of dollars,ﾒ he told reporters early Monday.
In the aftermath, as the prime ministerial delegation discovered, ﾠmany parts of the island looked like a war zone.
It was the term that Grand Bahama the Bahama Journalﾴs correspondent, Sharon Williams, used.
She, like many other Grand Bahamians was having trouble communicating with the outside world on Monday and hadbeen forced to resort to instant text messaging.
One of the latest reports from the north is that the extensive damage had heavily affected electricity, telephone and cable services and it could take weeks to restore them.
Areas in Freeport also suffered heavy damage. Businesses along the Queenﾴs Highway in downtown Freeport were reportedly devastated, as were hotels around the island, which also sustained a heavy blow. ﾠ
All the businesses in Freeport have been adversely affected in some way, according to reports. There is even an unconfirmed report that the one major resort may have to remain closed for the rest of the year because of flood damage.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged in Freeport. All of the houses in west end have either been damaged or destroyed and many of the buildings along the Lucaya Strip have been damaged.
East End, Grand Bahama also did not fare very well.
But there was some good news to report; apparently there is still only one confirmed storm related fatality.
The 80-year-old man who went missing when his house collapsed was found alive. He had apparently sought refuge in his ceiling and was found crouched there.
As the Bahama Journal continued to collect reports from Grand Bahama, there were also many stories of heroism during Hurricane
Frances involving whole families being rescued as their roofs caved in.
As for the Grand Bahama International Airport, engineers were said to be evaluating the integrity of the facility which was reportedly under more than 7 feet of water.
On Monday, plans were being coordinated to ship in water as there was somewhat of a crisis for the entire island of Grand Bahama. Officials there were said to be setting up water distribution centres around the island.
Just before beginning his tour of the island, the prime minister and his delegation held a meeting where officials on that island briefed them about the situation.
Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
