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Consulate: No reports of Bahamians in distress due to California wildfires

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter 

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Consulate General in Los Angeles said no Bahamian nationals have reported distress or required assistance as California wildfires rage on.

Southern California has been grappling with wildfires primarily affecting the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The fire has been exacerbated by severe drought conditions, low humidity, and powerful Santa Ana winds, with gusts reaching up to 100 miles per hour.

The fires have led to widespread power outages, disruption in transportation, and significant economic losses estimated in the billions.

Consul General Joy Newbold told The Tribune that The Bahamas Consulate General in Los Angeles remains safe as wildfires rage west of their 405 Freeway.

“The office is located in Westwood, right in front of UCLA’s campus,” she said. “The fires are on the west side of the 405 Freeway, in areas like Brentwood and the Palisades. The freeway acts as a barrier, so the fires haven’t crossed to our side. However, depending on the wind, smoke and embers could shift eastward and impact us in Westwood.”

Bahamian nationals are encouraged to adhere to federal and state health advisories, which recommend limiting outdoor activity, keeping windows closed, and running air conditioning systems on internal circulation to mitigate smoke inhalation risks.

Ms Newbold said that the consulate office remains operational and open for business despite earlier evacuation warnings, which have since subsided. She added that an evacuation warning was also issued for an area where the residence of a consular officer was.

Ms Newbold described the toll of preparing for a potential evacuation after the wildfire warning was issued for the consulate’s area.

“We,” she said, “are from a different natural disaster zone, so we are hurricane pros, right? So we no longer, pretty much have that in a sense of fear, but this was new to us. It’s more an apprehension, an unsettling feeling. My staff in conversations, in our meetings, I believe it’s more of a psychological thing. It’s the uncertainty of having to pack and run and move and leave right away, and not knowing when it may happen.”

She added: “You do get apprehensive, and you then get a bit nervous, because you want to make sure that one, you are securing as best as you can: securing your personal effects and preparing to move as quickly as

“We are just reiterating those policies and those advisories because we want our nationals who are in the area, even if not immediately affected, to follow the health orders. We want you to know that we’re monitoring those, you should be as well.”

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