The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE the widespread damage Hurricane Matthew left in West End and Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, residents in these communities yesterday expressed hope that they will rebound.

In West End, homes along the seaside and main road in the community were totally destroyed, and businesses sustained extensive damage, including the iconic Star Club owned by the late Progressive Liberal Party Senator Austin Grant and his family; as well the marina, hotel and restaurant, and seafood processing plant owned by the Neely family.

Tractors and bulldozers were in the community clearing away debris and other obstructions from the main road.

West End resident and businessman Artis Neely, who operates the marina and seafood plant, sustained more than $1 million in property damage. Despite this, he expects the seafood operation to be up and running in a few weeks. Mr Neely said the restaurant and bar was closed due to slow economic times.

“One building we were using for storage, and the other building we used for our active business, which is our lobster and seafood processing plant, are still standing, and so we feel we would be operational within another two to three weeks,” he said. “But we lost all the docks and marina, which is distressing, and we have to replace them immediately. The only concern I have is finding the funding to do that,” Mr Neely said.

He estimates the cost of the damage to be $1.5m.

Mr Neely, a native of West End, said the community is totally destroyed. “I think 90 per cent of the homes are totally destroyed and the other 10 per cent are questionable. There is not one building on the main street in West End that has not been touched,” he said, adding that residents should give thanks to God.

While he was shocked by the level of damage, Mr Neely said he is not troubled and distressed about it. He said the business did not experience any flooding from storm surge as many of the homes in the area, which were under three feet of water.

“The carpet in my office is still dry. It was the wind that did most the damage. I assumed that the winds were around 180- 200mph with gusts and there was probably a tornado that actually took out these buildings,” Mr Neely said. Strong winds had pushed a boat out of the water and onto the front portion of Mr Neely’s property.

He said that Prime Minister Perry Christie and Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe, who is also a native of West End and MP for the area, had visited the area yesterday with the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Sherrit.

“I wish everyone will pray for us and hope we will overcome this,” Mr Neely said. “The people from the Caribbean who are here investigating and looking at the problem we are having, I certainly hope that there can be a lot of help for a lot of people in this community. I am not particularly concerned about me,” he said.

John Wheatley Russell and his wife, Vanessa, said their West End home sustained severe water and roof damage. The elderly couple have lived in their home for the past five decades.

They lost a lot of their personal and sentimental possessions. Many of the couple’s old record albums were tossed outside in a heap, ruined by sea water.

When asked if they were distressed by their loss, Mrs Russell said: “Not at all. We went through this three times, and also in 1947 when I was little girl. We have lived here over 53 years and we went through Frances, Jeanne and Wilma, but Matthew was the worst of them all.”

Mr Russell said they went to a shelter and took their cat, Belle, to the Bahamas Humane Society. He said that water came in through a glass sliding door at the rear of the house and through a kitchen window. The furniture was soaked.

“This area is really devastated. We had Social Services and Ministry of Works stop by to assess the damage,” he said.

Sonia Rolle Mackey also sustained extensive roof and water damage at her home in West End. She said that she and many residents need assistance.

“My home had been put down on the list for home repair by Urban Renewal, but that never came through, and now my roof sustained lots of damage during Hurricane Matthew,” she said, adding that her car was flooded by sea water. “Despite it all, I am truly grateful that there was no loss of life in West End,” she said.

There was also similar devastation in the communities of Holmes and Eight Mile Rock, where many homes and businesses were also destroyed.

The Sunset Village, a fish fry in Eight Mile Rock, was extensively damaged. Most of the vendor booths had collapsed due to storm surge and wind damage.

The Martin Town Primary School also sustained roof damage. A number of police officers were clearing away debris from the schoolyard.

Samaritan Purse International, a relief group, was in Eight Mile Rock distributing blankets, tarps, hygiene kits, and water purifiers to residents yesterday. The group, based in North Carolina, US, is founded by Franklin Graham, the son of renowned televangelist Billy Graham.

“We are here to provide hope and encouragement in the name of Christ to those most affected by Hurricane Matthew,” said a representative. “We respond to disasters like this … and we are blessed to be able to come here and share love in the name of Jesus with the people here. Samaritan’s Purse is worldwide and we respond to all kinds of situations all around the world to help people with relief in the name of Christ.”

Many of the residents said they were grateful for the assistance.