The Tribune

LIVE COVERAGE OF HURRICANE DORIAN CONTINUES HERE

• On Tuesday morning we’ll bring you the latest news on Hurricane Dorian and its impact on Abaco and Grand Bahama.

12.10am UPDATE: An incredible video from Pine Bay, Grand Bahama showing conditions during Hurricane Dorian.

11.40pm UPDATE: BPL Street Smart Tropical Weather 11pm Update on Cat 4 Hurricane Dorian provided by IBM | Bahamas “First Alert” Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Network: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DORIAN IS STATIONARY & CONTINUES TO THRASH GRAND BAHAMA – Residents in the Northwest Bahamas (Abaco & Grand Bahama) can still expect continuing periods of either life- threatening storm surge, hurricane force winds and/or devastating rainfall amounts, projected by NOAA to be between 15-20 inches as the storm begins its agonisingly slow departure from the waters surrounding Grand Bahama and Abaco.

10pm UPDATE: A National Hurricane Center update says Dorian remains stationary and continues to thrash Grand Bahama. Residents should remain in shelter on Grand Bahama as they are currently experiencing the eyewall of the storm. Residents in the Abacos should also continue to stay in their shelter until conditions subside later tonight. Wind gusts are up to 165mph and storm surge is 12 to 18 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves. These hazards will continue over Grand Bahama through Tuesday morning, causing extreme destruction on the island.

9.50pm UPDATE: BPL is saying approximately 40% of customers in New Providence now have power. BPL is also dealing with the aftermath of flooding on the island.

9.15pm UPDATE: A tweet from meteorologist Rodney Chai showing a satellite image of Hurricane Dorian – and its near stationary nature.

8.15pm: BPL has provided temporary cellphone contacts – numbers that will be live only for the duration of storm recovery activities in the event that callers cannot connect through the regular emergency numbers, also listed here: BPL EMERGENCY CONTACTS: 302 1800, 323 5561-4. BPL TEMPORARY EMERGENCY CELL CONTACTS: 899 8297, 899 8299.

7pm UPDATE: Two videos (above) showing the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. The area where The Mudd community is situated in Abaco and what appears to be flood waters up to the windows of a first floor sitting room in Grand Bahama.

5.35pm UPDATE: From this evening’s press conference at NEMA headquarters:

• Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the police have confirmed five deaths in Abaco.

• Dr Minnis said we are in the midst of an history tragedy in parts of the northern Bahamas. The focus will now be on search, rescue and recovery.

• Many homes, businesses and other buildings in Abaco have been completely or partially destroyed and there is flooding and damage to infrastructure. The US Coast Guard has rescued a number of injured individuals – they’re being taken to Princess Margaret Hospital.

• Rapid assessment teams are on standby – there are local, regional and international teams ready to assess needs and damage.

• Exigency orders have been signed to help with relief efforts – including waving landing and customs fees in affected areas.

• The Prime Minister asked Bahamians unaffected to open their homes to friends and family in need and donate to reputable organisations.

• He also urged people not to send reports or images that appear to be untrue.

• Hurricane Dorian is currently 25 miles northeast of Freeport, it is almost stationary with winds of 145mph. It is steadily decreasing in strength but is still a Category 4 storm.

• Hurricane Force winds extend 45 miles from the centre, tropical storm force winds are reaching 150 miles from the centre.

• On its present track, all tropical storm force winds will cease in Abaco by Tuesday at 7pm and in Grand Bahama by 10pm on Tuesday.

5pm UPDATE: These are links to two campaigns raising funds for those affected by Hurricane Dorian – Head Knowles and Rotary.

4.45pm UPDATE: This video shows a US Coast Guard helicopter in Abaco picking up critically injured residents.

3.30pm UPDATE: Service from Aliv was restored to Marsh Harbour, Abaco, earlier this afternoon.

3.20pm UPDATE: These videos from social media of Smith's Point and Sunset Subdivision in Grand Bahama show the effects of Hurricane Dorian.

2.35pm UPDATE: SEVERAL shelters in Grand Bahama have been compromised and are taking on water as rescue teams on the island mobilise to relocate residents to safer locations, according to Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson – See full story HERE

2.25pm UPDATE: The US Coast Guard is deploying members and assets from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in preparation for Hurricane Dorian response in the Bahamas.

Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and crews along with health service technicians are being staged on Andros Island to be able to have a rapid post-storm response.

2.15pm UPDATE: Chef and restaurateur José Andrés has tweeted about World Central Kitchen's plans to get food and water to Abaco and Grand Bahama.

1.20pm UPDATE: We're hearing that power is back on in the Mount Vernon and Monastery Park areas in New Providence.

1.05pm UPDATE: There are reports that Grand Bahama Humane Society is flooding with five feet of water and rising. They’ve moved as many of the small dogs and pups as they can but they can’t get to the cattery.

12.50pm UPDATE: The Defence Force has been dispatched to rescue people in East Grand Bahama if you know anyone who is trapped tell them call 351-9774 so they can get on the rescue list.

There are also numbers for the Emergency Operation Centres in Grand Bahama: 351-4902, 351-4903, 351-4904 and you can WhatsApp your location to 557-5202.

12.50pm UPDATE: West Grand Bahamians are bracing for the full brunt of Hurricane Dorian. Island Administrator for West Grand Bahama Cristian Palacious said her district is at this time experiencing tropical storm force winds. The control room had neither at this point received reports or requests of people needing rescue. "Presently we are still feeling tropical storm winds. Everything is in order. We are just waiting on the storm."

12.35pm UPDATE: North Abaco MP Darren Henfield said there has been catastrophic damage on the island. He said there are reports of casualties but they cannot confirm that at the moment. He said it’s not safe to go outdoors – power lines are down, lamp poles are down, trees are across the street. As soon as the weather permits, first responders will go to areas where they’ve had reports of people in distress.

12.30pm: BTC has issued a service update for Grand Bahama, Abaco, Bimini & New Providence

Abaco:

Mobile services are available in the following areas:

• Cherokee Sound

• Bahama Palm

• Long Bay

• Schooner Bay

• Sands Cove

• Sandy Point

Fixed line and mobile services are compromised on the rest of the island.

Grand Bahama:

Mobile services are available in the following areas:

• Grand Lucaya

• West End

• Taino Beach

• Maurice Moore

• Our Lucaya

• Queen’s Highway

Fixed line services are compromised island wide.

Bimini:

Mobile services are available in the following areas:

• Cat Cay

• Alice Town

• Porgy Bay

New Providence:

All mobile sites on the island are currently up and are operational on backup power. Landline services on our legacy copper network are operational. Due to the loss of commercial power and excessive flooding, our customers in our Fiber to the Home and recently upgraded MSAN areas may experiencing landline and internet outages if their home is not equipped with backup power.

BTC also gave this update on the company's team members: “We are following up with our teams in Grand Bahama to ensure their safety. We have been able to confirm that four team members in Abaco lost their homes. Unfortunately, we have lost contact with our emergency technical team members in Abaco since last evening. We are continuing to reach out to them.

Our People team, supported by our parent company, has already began mobilising efforts to provide immediate relief to colleagues in Abaco and Grand Bahama immediately following the 'all-clear'. Our People team will fly out to personally check on the well-being of our teams in Abaco and Grand Bahama to provide care packages, conduct assessments and determine what assistance is required.

“Network Monitoring and Assessments: We are continuing to monitor our networks and we will provide updates as they are available. Our team is currently organizing air transport for our initial assessment teams following the 'all-clear' for Abaco and Grand Bahama. Following that, we will be able to provide an update on the severity of the damage to our networks. We continue to implore residents stay away from all downed lines. Please continue to contact the LNRRC at 242-225-5282 or 242-225-1202 to report any emergencies.”

12.10pm UPDATE: Bahamasair is advising that the Lynden Pindling International Airport is open and as a result they will be operating the following flights:

• MONDAY

Cuba – Our Havana, Cuba flight has been rescheduled and will depart at 12:15pm.

Long Island – Our 2:15pm Deadman’s Cay, Long Island flight will operate as scheduled.

Exuma – There will be only one flight into Georgetown, Exuma at 6:00pm this evening. All persons scheduled to fly on any of Bahamasair’s earlier scheduled flights into Georgetown will be accommodated at 6:00pm.

• TUESDAY

Bahamasair will operate all flights on the schedule with the exception of the following destinations: Freeport, Abaco, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale.

MIAMI – Bahamasair will operate our afternoon schedule into Miami starting at 2:45pm. Those passengers scheduled to travel out of any of Bahamasair’s other Florida stations, if they wish can travel out of Miami penalty free.

Ticketed passengers who wish to further alter their travel itineraries as a result of the storm, will be allowed to do so penalty free for a period of 30 days starting August 29th, 2019. Bahamasair encourages the public to remain vigilant and attentive for further public advisories as we work to keep our passengers updated.

11.45am UPDATE: Agriculture Minister Michael Pintard has shared this video of his flooded home.

11.25am UPDATE: From Yontalay Bowe: Famous chef and restaurateur José Andrés is in the Bahamas meeting with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and government officials with plans to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Andrés’ relief organisation – World Central Kitchen – is expected to bring food to affected areas once the hurricane has moved north. “If kitchens are destroyed, we build one and cook in big paella pans,” Andrés said on Twitter.

• The heavy rain overnight and this morning has left parts of New Providence flooded – so be careful on the roads.

10.20am UPDATE: UNCONFIRMED reports from Green Turtle Cay, Abaco: Total devastation, people trapped in collapsed homes, the primary school shelter failed, roads impassable.

10am UPDATE: BPL is working to restore power in New Providence, but efforts are being hampered by the flooding. A system fault at one of the primary substations – believed to be as a result of moisture ingress – is believed to have led to a chain of events culminating in a total island wide outage. The BPL team is working feverishly at present to power up the system, balancing load demands with the capacity available in the system with that primary substation still offline.

9.30am UPDATE: NEMA is advising the general public that they are receiving reports of severe flooding in many areas of Grand Bahama. Rescue efforts are currently on standby and every effort will be made when the weather permits. NEMA is encouraging people not to attempt to leave their homes and to move to the highest point your house.

• Front today’s print edition:

• Monster: Abaco Devastated By Hurricane Dorian

• PM: Mandatory Evacuation Legislation is a priority

8.40am UPDATE: This video gives an indication of the scale of the flooding in Grand Bahama.

8am UPDATE: It appears Hurricane Dorian has virtually stalled over Grand Bahama, according to the National Hurricane Center.

• In New Providence, there is heavy flooding on Bay Street this morning and power is out island-wide.

Bahamas Power and Light director of public relations Quincy Parker told ZNS this morning that crews are working to restore power.

He said the Bahamas Power and Light office in Abaco, which was hit by the Category 5 storm on Sunday, has been flattened.

"The reports out of Abaco as everyone knows were not good," Parker said.

• With regards to the damage Dorian has inflicted on Abaco and Grand Bahama, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement: “Hurricane Dorian has caused extensive damage across the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in the Bahamas, according to rapid initial assessments from authorities and Red Cross officials on the ground.

“According to these reports, Dorian’s ferocious category 5 winds and rains have damaged houses and other buildings, leaving many people without adequate shelter. As many as 13,000 houses may have been severely damaged or destroyed. On the island of Abaco, extensive flooding is believed to have contaminated wells with saltwater, creating an urgent need for clean water.”

The IFRC has this morning released 250,000 Swiss francs from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to bolster the first wave of the Bahamas Red Cross’ response.