The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A leading Grand Bahama business executive has urged the Prime Minister to ensure “the burden on our businesses is reduced as we rebuild for the umpteenth time”.

Dave McGregor, Grand Bahama Power Company’s chief executive, encouraged Dr Hubert Minnis to “keep a close eye” on Freeport’s recovery and that of the wider island following the battering it had received from Hurricane Dorian.

Pointing out that Grand Bahama “took a hell of a beating” after the Category Five storm stalled over the island for two days, Mr McGregor said its private sector had only “just been getting back” from Hurricane Matthew’s October 2016 strike.

“I’ll be working with the chamber here to make sure businesses get the tax breaks and grants from the government to rebuild,” Mr McGregor told Tribune Business.

“I’m hoping that the Prime Minister and his team will keep an eye on how Freeport is doing and reduce the burden on our businesses as we rebuild for the umpteenth time. I think we were just getting back after 2016 and this is obviously a huge setback.

“The fact that RoyalCaribbean/ITM still want to proceed, and Carnival wants to proceed, is good news and I hope they come to fruition as it will help dollars circulate in the economy and people to rebuild.”

Suggesting that The Bahamas may need to recognise climate change and its effects as “the new normal”, Mr McGregor added: “We’ve been hit as badly as other businesses in Grand Bahama, but we’ll find a way; we always do. We’ve done it before and will do it again.

“We have to rebuild to be even more resilient, and try and position to come back even greater next time. We took a hell of a beating with this one.”

Meanwhile, Rick Lowe, Nassau Motor Company’s (NMC) director/operations manager, told Tribune Business that the small joint venture dealership it had in Abaco with Executive Motors and Quality Auto looked as it had been placed inside “a washing machine” due to Dorian.

“It’s a crisis. We had a little dealership in Marsh Harbour in partnership with Quality and Executive, about a mile-and-a-half from the harbour entrance on the airport road,” he revealed. “There was water to the crown moulding of the ceiling.

“It looks like everything was in a washing machine; it’s all topsy turvy and all over the place. Everything in there was submerged in salt water. We’ve been there for a few years and it solved a need. It’s just gone.”

Mr Lowe said it was “doubtful in the near term” whether they would rebuild, as “everybody is going to be concentrating on used cars to get them by as they rebuild or when they rebuild”.