GB, Andros devastated

Thu, Oct 13th 2016, 09:55 AM

Hurricane Matthew has created widespread devastation in the city of Freeport and throughout Grand Bahama, as well as North Andros.

The hardest hit communities in Grand Bahama were West End, Hunters, Pinder's Point, Lewis Yard and Eight Mile Rock as a powerful storm surge rushed into homes and other structures.

Many of the stores in Port Lucaya were devastated.

Our Lucaya, Memories, Castaways and other hotels were closed or were operating minimally.

The entire Grand Bahama was without power supply up to today and most of the island was without city water.

"Power is a grave problem," said Fred Sturrup, general manager of the Freeport News, after touring devastated communities.

"It almost looks as if some great giant snapped the poles as if it was snapping toothpicks. But the main problem is the water because you can be without power for a certain amount of time, but you really need water.

"The 30 poles that supply electrical generation for water well fields all have been decimated."

After touring West End on Saturday, Prime Minister Perry Christie suggested that serious decisions need to be made before rebuilding starts.

"Let me just say that one of the lessons that we have to desperately learn from hurricanes, is that during 2004/2005, I walked West End before, I walked into homes before and saw devastation, saw that all of the furnishings were lost," the prime minister said.

"We were able to revive some help then but here again it is repeating itself.

"Now the question is, how long do we continue, either through our building codes, or where people build, how long will we have this continued because we have to somehow be able to convince our people that if you are going to live on the seashore you have to build in a certain way and even when you build in a certain way you are likely to be impacted significantly by the forces of nature."

Christie also visited Lowe Sound, Andros, on Saturday.

Many poles were also ripped down by the storm and almost all of the homes were destroyed.

People there said they are in desperate need of help.

Families were walking around with only the clothes on their backs, some of them in tears.

Many told The Nassau Guardian they have never experienced anything like that before.

The prime minister has scheduled a press conference for tonight to discuss the government's response to the storm.

Sloan Smith, Guardian Staff Reporter

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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