"... We can say (that) some 1,700 buildings (are) destroyed." -Director of Works, Colin Marshall
BY KEVA LIGHTBOURNE,GUARDIAN STAFF REPORTER
Pounded relentlessly for hours on end by a storm with winds over 100 miles per hour, Grand Bahama, site of the nation's Second City, Freeport, bore the full brunt of Hurricane Frances' onset.
During a press conference at the Port Authority building on Wednesday afternoon, Director of Works Colin Marshall said that the total number of structures demolished or made uninhabitable by Frances' weekend passage dwarfed the count in the more sparsely populated South-Eastern Bahamas.
The hurricane's arrival was also accompanied by sea surges that resulted in flooding in many areas.
"In Grand Bahama we did a sampling of some 500 houses, but based on the projections there, those numbers there dwarf all the islands put together. If we use those projections then we can say (that) some 1,700 buildings (are) unusable in Grand Bahama and some 600 (are) destroyed," Mr Marshall said.
Plight of the homeless
Although The Bahamas has one of the strictest buildings codes in the region, according to Mr Marshall, "A lot of those buildings were substandard construction but still the people are standing there with their belongings on the ground or on the floor slab and houses are upside down. Even the concrete buildings where the tidal wave came through the guts were ripped out, the doors gone, sheet rock gone," the Works director disclosed.
"Those with solid inside walls may be standing but still the water came up high, followed by the waves. West End in particular where the water came through from the north and then it eased out and then came from the south, they were hit on both sides, that is where a large amount of damage was done there in Eight Mile Rock. Those families are in a poor state."
Family Island count
Mr Marshall said that assessment of damages carried out by technical teams of the Ministry of Works have determined thus far that in addition to the 600 Grand Bahama buildings destroyed, Family Island structures have been affected as follows: In Acklins 12 buildings have been rendered uninhabitable, none destroyed; Berry Islands, four unusable, none destroyed; Cat Island, 22 unusable, 11 destroyed; in Eleuthera nine uninhabitable, three destroyed.
In Mayaguana, he continued, two buildings were rendered uninhabitable, two destroyed; In Rum Cay, three unusable, none destroyed; and in San Salvador 23 unusable and 17 destroyed, with a large number being in United Estates.
A number of other buildings also suffered damage but were still "usable" but in need of significant repairs, Mr Marshall said,
Schools report due
The Works director said that by late Wednesday a report should have been completed on school buildings in New Providence and the Family Islands and passed on to Ministry of Education officials.
Although Monday was the rescheduled opening date for schools, both public and private school reopening for the Fall term was postponed, with Thursday reported as a tentative restart date.
At the time of the press conference, Mr Marshall said that at least 95 per cent of the reports had been completed. However, a report had not been received from Bimini.
Some may be condemned
Although not confirmed up to press time, it is believed that a number of buildings and schools in the Family Islands will be condemned.
Mr Marshall advised that, "We will be looking to assist local government and the local communities on the island with the restoration by putting in contractors where needed or our own work team to supplement the local efforts.
"Persons will be sent to appraise what short term restoration and help we can get and what longer term work is needed whether it is rebuilding docks or rebuilding some schools that we have seen that now must unfortunately be condemned," he advised. "So we will be working to make out a programme and budget for works in the least possible time."
