The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller has called on people with "heavy equipment" to "step up to the plate" and assist fellow Bahamians suffering in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.

Mr Miller, in an interview with The Tribune after the worst of the category 4 storm had passed on Thursday, called on owners of machinery such as tractors, dump trucks and Cherry Picker trucks "to assist our unfortunate brothers and sisters in getting their lives back together as soon as possible”.

The outspoken MP stressed that now is not the time for persons in possession of heavy machinery to "believe the this is a situation where they can make money."

Mr Miller also said he plans to assist his constituents by purchasing and subsequently distributing some $10,000 worth of shingles. However, he said he expects his constituents (and others) to "work together and assist each other in the cleanup”.

Mr Miller spoke to The Tribune on Thursday while spearheading an operation to remove fallen trees from the central-northern section of McKinney Drive off Carmichael Road. He said he was utilising his personal equipment to conduct the exercise, prompting him to solicit help from others in possession of similar equipment.

"One of the main things we need in this country right now, is that all of those people who have heavy equipment - I just happen to have my own equipment, they need to step up to the plate and assist our unfortunate brothers and sisters in getting their lives back together as soon as possible," he told The Tribune. "And I'm happy to be in the position to be able to help my constituents and other Bahamians on the whole.

Mr Miller also commended the various government agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), for a job well done leading up to and throughout the duration of the storm.

"I think the agencies that are responsible for the hurricane have been doing a magnificent job," he said. "I've seen them out on the streets from about 2 o'clock (yesterday). They are going around in all the neighbourhoods. But what is needed now is equipment to help clear the debris. People cannot believe that this is a situation where they can make money, this is to help other fellow Bahamians. And I know you have a lot of fellas with this thing in their head this is the time now to make quick cash.

"I just happened to have my own machine," he added. "Over the years and I continue to use it and I have fellas who volunteer to help me get our area clean, and I would expect others to do the same thing. The government can only do so much. It is now time for Bahamians to help themselves, and help our neighbours. You can't expect for the government to do everything - they don't have the capacity to do so. So we got to help each other. Thats what it's all about. Helping each other in our times of need."

Mr Miller said for him personally, Hurricane Matthew was a first, as he claimed his house in Winton Estates house "shook" from the category 4 force winds. That area, as well as nearby Yamacraw, he said are in "terrible shape" from the storm. He also said the roof on one of the buildings in the Summerwinds Plaza on Harold Road "blew off" yesterday morning.

"This hurricane has been I believe, in the history of our country, one of the most devastating ones because of the constant rain and the amount of wind," he said. "We're talking about 145mph winds. At certain times this morning inside my house, the house actually was shaking. And I live in a two story house on the corner there by Janet Bostwick, and you could hear the whole house shake where it was so fierce. I've never experienced that before.

"I saw roofs flattened, a lot of shingles displaced, a lot of people's lives are going to be displaced," he continued. "There was so much destruction with all the trees falling on your property man. I saw a coconut tree fall on a house, I saw a palm tree fall on a vehicle. It's been tough. I've seen destruction all around. But mostly, fallen trees seems to be the biggest problem. A lot of people have to replace shingles on the roofs. Not too much damage to a lot of the roofs, but some roofs have been crashed in totally.

"But I thank God there has been no loss of life as far as I know at this time."

Mr Miller, the former executive chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), now Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), also said he expects BPL to work assiduously and return power to residents as soon as possible. "These interruptions that we've been having for the last several months has been a total disgrace and a disaster, and let's hope that they could get themselves together and work for what they're being paid for," he said on the matter.