NASSAU, BAHAMAS — At least 140 homes sustained damage from the potential tropical cyclone that drenched north western islands over the Labour Day holiday weekend, according to Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey.
The damaged homes included at least 100 on Grand Bahama and 40 on Bimini.
Moxey said a number of the homes were still damaged from Hurricane Dorian.
“What I would say I think it’s because they are already compromised so that you had the water just seeping in,” she told reporters before cabinet yesterday. “It was rainwater, it wasn’t anything other than that.
“The wind wasn’t strong enough to cause the other types of damage.”
She said the damaged homes were ones officials received calls from or visited themselves.
“Like I said, there are so many who have not recovered or whose homes have not been restored from Dorian, so that’s something we really want to jump on,” she said.
“I’m really pushing to have some immediate funds available so that we can get some stuff done now.”
Although Moxey declined to estimate how much money Grand Bahama needs to complete its recovery from Hurricane Dorian and be prepared for the current and future hurricane seasons, she suggested a lot is needed.
“The funding that I need is really to get the shelters to a place where you get more shelters available so that is really a priority and then you have those who have compromised groups from Dorian, so a lot of it is Dorian related,” she said.
Ricardo Ferguson, the administrator for West End Grand Bahama, told Eyewitness News over the weekend that insufficient shelters were ready for the hurricane season.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director Captain Stephen Russell, however, dismissed that concern during a press conference on Sunday, saying up to 14 shelters can be activated if needed.
Meanwhile, Works & Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said yesterday that new measures are being implemented to address flooding.
“During my budget contribution, I will disclose that we have provisions in the budget, some new line items, for flood mitigation.
“We also have developed a contingency plan where we’re acquiring pumps so that areas which are prone to flooding, the water can be cleared quickly from the road as well as people’s homes and yard, and so on.
“And we will be using a Tiger Dam which will be based in some communities where the water could be diverted from the streets to a dam area to be held and then taken away as opposed to sitting on the street and intruding on the surrounding yards and homes, and causing damage and inconvenience.”
Sears said wells in select areas will also be drilled as deep as 600 feet, far further than the usual 120-150 feet.
