By Stephen Gay, Guardian Staff Reporter

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has pledged The Bahamas' full support in terms of recovery efforts and assistance to the government and people of the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI), in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Immediately following the hurricane, Turks and Caicos Premier Michael Misick said Ike damaged more than 80 percent of the homes on Grand Turk and South Caicos Islands.

He explained that along with flooding, scores of buildings including the hospital and prison in Grand Turk lost their roofs in the storm. A number of power lines were ripped down and a number of fishing boats were lost as well.

Reports say that the eye of the storm passed over Grand Turk (the capital) where there was significant damage. However, there were no reports of loss of life resulting from the storm.

This storm created further havoc for Turks Islanders on days after Hurricane Hanna passed through the islands.

"We will certainly provide any assistance that the Turks & Caicos requires of The Bahamas," Ingraham said. "Including assistance with respect to persons who had been hospitalized in Grand Turk who needed to be transferred to our hospital in The Bahamas.

"We will provide any assistance they need in terms of policing or any other governmental service. That is standard between ourselves and the Turks and Caicos."

On Monday, reports coming out of TCI revealed that assessment teams were on the ground working and that there was no electricity.

The website of 'Fortis Turks and Caicos', the electricity company that provides power to 85 percent of the TCI, reported that power was restored to the hospital, water treatment plant and airport.

According to the website, the company deployed an assessment team to restore power in areas that were seriously impacted by the storm. The company expects to have electricity service restored within three weeks to all of its customers on Providenciales who are capable of receiving service, and within six weeks to its customers on other islands.

The company has also reportedly extended an offer to the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to assist with electricity service restoration efforts on islands not served by Fortis Turks and Caicos.

Bahamian Member of Parliament for the West End & Bimini Constituency Obie Wilchcombe, said yesterday that Bahamians must remember that the Turks & Caicos Islands used to be apart of The Bahamas and that their nationals used to and presently reside between Abaco and Grand Bahama. He stressed the importance of being 'your brothers keeper'.

He said when Grand Bahama was devastated by hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma, the premier of the Turks and Caicos was the first to offer assistance, by providing what he said was a substantial financial donation. Wilchcombe said it's time to return the favor.

"Having been through the experience myself, I know what it does psychologically, I know what it means. It is important for him is to ensure that he can provide his people immediate assistance, so that they do not drop into any form of depression," Wilchcombe said. "Because when you are wiped out and destroyed, you must know that there are friends out there, and must be able to respond to your people very quickly. So I figured that in this time of need, our hearts must be there.

"We have to deal with our situations in Inagua and the other southern islands, but soon after we must give assistance to the Turks and Caicos," he said.

Wearing the hat of chairman of the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Response Agency (CEDRA), Prime Minister Ingraham said officials contacted him about offering aid, and are standing by, ready to move.

"A number of teams from CEDRA will go to Grand Turk to do assessments," Ingraham said. "The British government also has a naval ship which will go into Turks & Caicos."

In relation to The Bahamas giving aid to Haiti, which was also devastated by the recent string of tropical cyclones [Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike], Prime Minister Ingraham said a decision on exactly what will be done is being determined and will be announced later this week.

"(Haiti) would need assistance of a financial nature as opposed to Turks & Cacaos, which is financially in a stronger position," Ingraham said. "They may need some manpower or some professional help, as opposed to (money)."