A substantial part of hurricane recovery plans that the Government of the Bahamas is pondering this week will focus on providing permanent housing for the thousands of people in Grand Bahama whose homes were battered in Hurricane Frances.
The powerful storm destroyed hundreds of homes in east and west Grand Bahama and extensively damaged others.
Prime Minister Perry Christie said on Monday that he was rendered speechless as he surveyed the extent of the damage, which he described as substantial and overwhelming.
ﾓClearly there can never be sufficient resources for [housing to be provided for] free so we are going to have to set up a process that will enable people to have access,ﾒ Mr. Christie said.
Some settlements in Abaco also sustained massive losses and two Haitian shanty towns in the Mudd and Pigeon Pea were ravaged.
The Prime Minister said the government was trying to avoid becoming panicked and rushing to make requests for international assistance without first having a thorough assessment of the countryﾴs losses.
ﾓI will be speaking with CARICOM and the Minister of Works has already authorized the request for linesmen from Caribbean countries and Bermuda to come to the Bahamas,ﾒ said Mr. Christie.
ﾓWe are considering, through a new relationship that we have established with Florida Power and Light, accessing assistance from them.ﾒ
Mr. Christie has deputized the Director General of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace to liase with the local private sector and other officials abroad to coordinate relief from the outside. He said they have asked cruise lines and resorts to join in.
Already Kerzner International, which manages the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, has volunteered two company helicopters for government use.
A helicopter is one of the only ways left to reach East End in Grand Bahama, where there were powerful and destructive storm surges during the hurricane and massive flooding was left behind.
Over the last two days, national emergency management officials were coordinating the collection and distribution of water and food supplies for the worst affected islands.
A part of the shipment went to Grand Bahama where in areas like West End many damaged and destroyed homes littered the neighbourhoods, businesses were dealt a heavy blow and the infrastructure sustained colossal losses.
ﾓWe know that we cannot just displace people because communities are important in our country so, as an ultimate objective, we have to restore the community of West End,ﾒ the Prime Minister said.
Many of the people who live in that part of the island have moved in with neighbours whose homes didnﾴt suffer as much devastation.
The Prime Minister of Jamaica P. J. Patterson loaded Bahamasair aircraft, that had been flown to Montego Bay for safe keeping before the storm, with bottles of water for The Bahamas.
There is no running water, power and limited telephone services in Grand Bahama.
Water was also flown to central Eleuthera on Monday and the government chartered the Lady Matilda mail boat to ferry food ﾠand water supplies to Grand Bahama.
The Grand Bahama Port Authority and the Freeport Power Company are also arranging for 50 linesmen from Georgia to fly in.
Restoring power is critically important because the reverse osmosis water plant for the island needs electricity to work. Assessment teams are also evaluating the extent of the damage in Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands.
Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
