According to Crooked Island resident Edith Bain, when Hurricane Joaquin hit, the back portion of her house, which consisted of four bedrooms, was destroyed, with only the front part, including one bedroom and the bathroom, left standing. (Photo: Sloan Smith)

Almost a year after the devastation of Hurricane Joaquin, many residents of the southern Family Islands are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives the storm left behind.

Crooked Island resident Edith Bain, 62, is just one of many who still rely on the assistance from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) while she has waited a year for repairs on her house to be completed.

However, she said NEMA is threatening to disrupt what peace she has found since her home was badly damaged in the storm, by removing the mobile home placed on her property that she has been using for weeks as she waits for her house to be repaired.

Bain said she was preparing to move in to the home as repair work on her roof just started, but now she will have to stay in the home while repairs take place.

"We had two kids and two adults that were displaced as a result of the hurricane, but I stayed here until now, hoping to get some relief from NEMA," Bain told The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

"They promised that they are going to help the elderly and the single mothers, and I must say that I am a single mother, I'm a single woman, 62 years old, and I had two children living in the house, one I got from Social Services, who released her into my care."

Bain was born and raised on Crooked Island.

She said she moved to New Providence to work for a while some time ago, but returned to Crooked Island to take care of her mother who was suffering from Alzheimer's.

Her mother has since passed away.

Bain expressed that the island is her home and she does not intend to move away from it again.

In October of last year, packing winds of up to 140 miles per hour at its strongest, Hurricane Joaquin churned over several islands in the central and southern Bahamas.

Long Island, San Salvador, Samana Cay, Crooked Island, Acklins, Great Exuma and Rum Cay experienced the worst of the storm.

At one point, Crooked Island residents were without electricity or cell service for days.

The Category 4 storm toppled power lines and caused major flooding and widespread structural damage to homes, businesses and docks.

Bain explained that when Hurricane Joaquin hit, the back portion of her house, which consisted of four bedrooms, was destroyed, with only the front part, including one bedroom and the bathroom, left standing.

She said she is still living in the damaged home.

She claims NEMA promised to build her a new home, but then changed its tune.

"...The authorities came down to the house where I was living at one point and they told me they were not going to give me the house anymore because I am not qualified," she said.

"Now I don't know what the qualification is because, like I said, I am a single woman, 62 years old, with four individuals living in the house, the house is completely destroyed, and I'm not qualified.

"They [NEMA] sent someone to patch it as of yesterday and we just had some rain so I had to put buckets to catch the water.

"My fear is now that the [area of the home] that I'm living in now will be destroyed because it has a lot of structural damages, it hasn't been repaired and I was hoping all along that as they were repairing other persons' houses that they would repair mine also. But up until last week, when they came around, they finally said they are not going to do it for me, it was never their intention to do anything for me, is what they said, that was their final word."

NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell told The Guardian, "There is a trailer in Edith Bain's property, the trailer was not assigned to her, the trailer was assigned to some other person.

"We are finished with the repairs to that person's home, and I'm not sure who directed the trailer to her property, technically that trailer should have been signed back to NEMA and redirected as necessary.

"We were shocked to know one of our trailers was parked in front of her property."

Russell explained that a team from NEMA went to Bain's home and made a commitment to assist her within the terms of repairing her property.

"We have done that," he said.

"We made no commitment to rebuild no home for her. She was aware of that.

"There was never an agreement to rebuild a home for Edith Bain.

"It was to repair her home to make it as water-tight as possible.

"As it is now, a team did a follow-up check with her house this week, in fact, over the past two days, and they completed the basic repairs to make her home water-tight.

"The trailer is still on her property and still yet to be removed, and that's where we stand with Edith Bain at this time."

Russell also explained that the qualifications for assistance were based on a guideline set by the Department of Social Services.

He said that it was for senior citizens, disabled people, single parents and then the general public.

In reference to the general public, Russell said, "It is not mandatory, but we assist them the best way we can."

Sloan Smith, Guardian Staff Reporter

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