Although SuperClubs Breezes suffered considerable damage from Hurricane Irene, three Bahamian contractors are now benefiting from millions of dollars worth of repairs,  Guardian Business can reveal. John Issa, the chairman of SuperClub, said more than $2 million would be spent bringing the resort up to code.

"I'm not sure how much we have paid so far, but we'll be spending in excess of $2 million for the work, and we're using three Bahamian contractors," he said,  from Jamaica.

"We have tended to support the economies in which we function. In fact, virtually all of the work we have done since inception has been local."

As the dust settled from Hurricane Irene, Breezes announced that, due to the passage of the storm, the resort incurred damage and would not be accepting new arrivals until November 1, 2011.

"As the damage is primarily roof damage, it will take some time to properly assess and effect necessary repairs," the statement said.

Breezes was one of many resorts to suffer damage at the hands of Irene. Cape Eleuthera is pumping more than $200,000 into repairs, Sandals on Exuma dealt with landscaping problems, while the One-and-Only Ocean Club and The Cove on Paradise Island incurred similar issues. However, compared to the rest, the setback at Breezes has meant heavier losses for the Nassau resort.

In addition to the $2 million in repairs, Breezes has missed out on revenue for this period. According to Issa, Breezes is on schedule for the November reopening. But he told Guardian Business that he was "surprised" by the extent of damage from Irene.

"The hurricane basically sandblasted the whole building," he said. "We found sand in the edges of rooms four floors up."

Mona Issa, his daughter, added that the rest of the ruined roofing material should be cleared this week. Plywood has been placed on most areas and water proofed, and the shingles will be installed soon.

"Once we fix the lower levels," she said, "then we will work on the upper levels."

There was also damage to new sliding doors the company had installed, which ended up leaking during the hurricane. Mona Issa said the manufacturer was coming to examine the situation so flooding doesn't happen again in the future. Meanwhile, because water seeped into concrete in certain areas, some of the walls have cracked and crumbled.

"We had a lot of damage in that area from the heavy rains," she said.

"It soaked through the wall. So you have to take off all the concrete, take out the rust and put new concrete in."

After speaking with their construction manager, she agreed with her father that repairs were on schedule, and Breezes is looking forward to opening its doors once more.
As a silver lining, John Issa added that he was pleased to give the multi-million dollar contract to local Bahamian firms to help the economy.

"From time to time we have brought in specialist tradesmen from Jamaica who work with the Bahamian contractor, but overall, local labor is our focus," he said. "One of the things we are very proud od is we have been operating for well over a year without one foreign work permit. I think is exceptional for a hotel of our size."

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