FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Chaos erupted at various hurricane relief distribution points Thursday as storm-weary residents towed long lines for everyday supplies like food, water and ice.
Hundreds of people showed up at the Lucayan Harbour from as early as 5 a.m. where supplies were coming in on a mail boat.
After being in line for over 10 hours without getting any of what they had come for, some residents left the site in total frustration and planned to return Thursday night.
By late afternoon, hundreds of people were still at the harbour hoping to get the relief that many of them have been seeking since Hurricane Frances unleashed a merciless assault on Grand Bahama, displacing thousands.
The Bahama Journal has learnt that authorities were slow to distribute supplies because of the volume that had been sent on the mail boat and were having a difficult time sorting out what should be given to whom.
On Thursday, there was still no ice on the island, but New Providence-based corporate citizens intensified efforts to provide such supplies for Grand Bahama. Various businesses are spearheading hurricane relief drives, geared at helping Grand Bahamians get back to some sense of normalcy.
Nineteen distribution centres have been set up on Grand Bahama and were supposed to begin giving out essential items at 9 a.m. But up to midday, many of those centres had not yet been stocked.
Conard Bethel, undersecretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, told the Bahama Journal that trailers were being loaded to take supplies to those sites. The various centres have been set up in churches, lodge halls and schools across Grand Bahama.
Defence Force officers, meanwhile, urged anxious residents to remain calm.
There were also long lines at areas that were distributing ice and local restaurants because many people are unable to cook hot meals at home, or simply have no homes left where they can cook.
Desperate residents waited many hours to be served as the impact of the hurricane continued to set in.
Most of Freeport on Thursday had water supplies reconnected, but officials were still working out how to get water into Eight Mile Rock.
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On Wednesday, Grand Bahama Port Authority Co-chairman Edward St. George said most of the pipes in that area had been disrupted during the hurricane.
On the eastern end of the island, water supplies had been restored as far east as the settlement of Pelican Point.
Power was restored Wednesday to the Rand Memorial Hospital, where a health crisis was fast developing, according to Prime Minister Perry Christie.
Officials at the Princess Margaret Hospital confirmed Thursday that some patients from the Rand had to be flown into Nassau because of the shortage of water that existed earlier in the week.
Mr. Bethel said that there was no area of Grand Bahama that was not impacted by the storm. Sixty percent of residents from West End had to be relocated to other areas, he said.
On Wednesday, Minister of Housing and National Insurance Shane Gibson said the government was in discussion with U.S. authorities to see if they could obtain temporary shelters.
He said similar talks are also going on with officials at the Four Seasons Resort in Exuma to acquire trailers that were previously used by construction workers at the hotel.
There was also significant damage to Freeport businesses, with more than half of the establishments being destroyed
David Dunbar, president of the Grand Bahama Power Company, said Wednesday inspectors were only able to get into 50 percent of Freeportﾴs businesses and of those, only half were in a condition to receive power.
The companyﾴs spokesman, Rodger Johnson, said officials were trying to get power restored to the airport and other places, including the Grand Bahama Childrenﾴs Home by Thursday night or early Friday.
Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
