“It’s a lot. It takes a lot to comfort the children, to comfort the wife to comfort the elderly, while you have to comfort yourself.”
– Jason Cooper, East Grand Bahama Resident
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Residents in Grand Bahama and Abaco said the passage of Hurricane Nicole has unearthed scars that have yet to fully heal.
Jason Cooper, a resident of Freetown East Grand Bahama, said that anxieties were high on the ground as they waited for Nicole to reach the island’s shores. Many of his neighbors were worried about how extensive the damage would be on their homes, many of which have not been fully restored since the passing of Dorian.
“This will be more of a toll from an emotional standpoint than anything,” said Cooper.
“(Hurricanes) happened far too often from what we’ve experienced here, so I tell you the people in East Grand Bahama, because most of the homes are still not hurricane ready, people still wrestle with having to fix certain things and battening up at the last minute so as to try and see what they can protect whatever was left from Dorian.”
Cooper added that there is still a mental struggle for many of the residents in the area as well, with the memory of Hurricane Dorian from 2019 still fresh in their minds.
“Being here and speaking with the rest of the residents, you know, those of us who in the area… some of us stayed through Dorian and relived the memories, but we realized that we have to do this.
“I mean, this what we call home and we try to be strong and go through it again but we have some memories. And we just hope that every crack, every wind, every noise, is not Dorian again, or that the house don’t come down, or that the house don’t flood…”
There has also been growing concern about the increase in the rate and frequency of hurricanes passing through the country as a result of climate change, especially given the potential domino effect of subsequent storms impacting Grand Bahama and Abaco.
“It’s just too quick, it’s too much for us in a lot of cases, I tell you it’s too much. […] It’s like when you just try to put something down to try to rebuild, ya gatta root it back up.”
“It’s a lot. It takes a lot to comfort the children, to comfort the wife to comfort the elderly, while you have to comfort yourself.”
Cooper says that despite the issues they may have, the people in East End possess an indomitable spirit of community and resilience. In his estimation, the way they lean on one another has made their woes more bearable.
“We are a strong people and we band together. That’s from Freetown all the way to Sweetings Cay, whenever they see a need, not only financially but emotionally.
At first, Ashtin Bethel of Marsh Harbour, Abaco didn’t expect much from Hurricane Nicole. She justified in her mind that it was just another tropical storm, but when it actually hit, barely buried memories came rushing in.
“Before hurricanes never bothered me until I went through Dorian […] now, it (Nicole) was only a tropical storm, maybe Cat one, but it was very traumatic,” Bethel said.
“The sea actually rose a lot more than I expected the roads were flooded, they were full of salt water, the wind was pretty intense.”
Hunkered down at home with her husband and daughter as Hurricane Nicole passed, Bethel said she is most grateful that her daughter, who was only a one-year-old when Dorian hit, does not remember what it was like going through that storm.
But for fellow Abaco resident Lilian Cash, Dorian is unforgettable.
“Of course, you know I went through Dorian so it was nerve-wracking even though it wasn’t as bad as what Dorian was. I guess you know, just the anxiety, going through another storm.
Cash said that they experienced a lot of wind and rain on Man-of-War cay, where she rode out Hurricane Nicole by herself. She witnessed flooding in homes and power outages. However, because most of her neighbors had generators, this bout was a far cry from the challenges of three years ago.
“Well I had to get out of the house I was in during Dorian you know, so you had that in the back of your mind.”
Although she eventually rationalized that everything was going to be okay as the storm raged overhead, that lingering doubt was hard to shake.
“Just to know that we were having a storm and the winds and the ordeal again, having to think: ‘Will the household up?’ and yes it would because of course it was a category one but just in the back of your mind you always have that, you know, of Dorian and having to get out.”
On Wednesday evening, the National Emergency Management Agency held a press conference to discuss the details of the storm as Hurricane Nicole strengthened.
At the time, Bahamas Phycological Association representative Wendy Fernander gave a presentation on the signs and symptoms of stress and anxiety, related to catastrophic events like natural disasters. Some of those symptoms include; distressing memories and feelings, flashbacks, nightmares and severe emotional distress toward things that trigger memories of the event.
Fernander noted that even those not directly impacted can develop fear, nervousness, and depression from the consumption of information surrounding the topic.
Her advice on how to navigate trauma was all-inclusive.
“Try doing some deep breathing as you find yourself getting anxious and distressed, practice mindfulness, remember the brain cannot do two things at once – so focus on your breath or use a meditation, scripture, and try distractions. It may be talking to someone on the phone, reading, also try journaling.
“In the event that you find the symptoms continue and its distressing get professional help. […] we have English and Creole lines, lines in New Providence that are toll-free and lines in Abaco. These lines are also manned by qualified mental health professionals,” Fernander expressed.
If you or someone you know could benefit from reaching out to a professional, the numbers are: 1-242-816-3799, 1-242-812-0576 and 1-242-815-5850 in New Providence and 1-242-822-4211 in Abaco.
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