The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

WHILE weather experts predict that certain portions of the Bahamas will begin to feel the impact of Hurricane Matthew this morning, residents in San Salvador and Cat Island were said to be bracing themselves for the worst, according to officials stationed on these islands.

Jackson McIntosh, island administrator on Cat Island, told The Tribune yesterday that officials were in the process of ensuring that the elderly, indigent and residents who need a safe place to ride out the category four storm were moved ahead before it makes landfall. However, he said, while preparations were going smoothly, his main concern was that the island’s morgue is not operational because the air-conditioning system needs a new compressor.

A hurricane watch is in effect for Long Island, Cat Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador and the Exumas. A hurricane alert is in place for Eleuthera, New Providence, Andros, the Berry Islands, Bimini, Grand Bahama and Abaco.

“People are battening down and we are getting the government buildings secured and making sure the supplies are in place,” Mr McIntosh said. “People that have to move from where they are to go move with relatives elsewhere on the island because of flooding threats, we are starting to do that slowly but surely. They are making plans to ensure that the indigents are also catered to.

“As we speak, district council has two teams on the ground. One in the north and one in the south making sure that all goes well. So I am satisfied that come Wednesday morning when the brunt of it will affect us we would be ready for it.”

He added: “My concern is that if there is a disaster, the morgue right now is down. We are awaiting our compressor. Other than that we are as ready as we are going to be at this time. We wished that we could have gotten the compressor up and running, but that’s my only concern in the likelihood that there is a fatality on the island.”

Meanwhile Paul E Turnquest, the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) representative in San Salvador, said those on the island were making last minute preparations to homes to withstand the gusty winds expected to accompany the hurricane.

He said: “Right now we are in the process of distributing some materials to assist the residents here on San Salvador to secure their homes properly.

“Luckily for us, NEMA would have had some materials here on the island and so we were able to utilise some of this material to assist those persons who need plywood to secure windows and doors.”

Mr Turnquest said people in San Salvador were still coping with the damage left behind by last year’s devastating hurricane, Joaquin. Because of this, he said those on the island were not taking anything for granted.

“People are still traumatised from Joaquin because you know Joaquin devastated San Salvador and so you still have persons when they see a cloud build up they start trembling.

“Basically people here are not taking anything for granted. They are being very cautious and making sure they are properly prepared and hopefully by tomorrow everybody should be fully prepared because I think there is a little window of a few hours where persons can get their materials and do some work,” he said.

Hurricane Matthew is moving slowly northward as a strong and extremely dangerous category four hurricane, located about 140 miles south of Tiburon, Haiti, according to weather experts.