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- Updates from the Islands -- - the Bahamas - - |
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| - Better late than never |
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Dear Gert,
well, it's all over now. Michelle has come and gone. And the eye
passed directly over Nassau when i thought it would- 10am. at about 7:30am
monday morning, the winds were blowing at about 65-75mph, not too bad. about
5 minutes later, everything went quiet, and the eye was upon us. The high
tide was at the same time as the eye passed over, and from what i could see,
was about 4-5 feet higher than usual. there was almost no damage, and alot
of people assumed that the storm was over. me and my parents and brother
listened to the radio in our living room, and heard reports of 'gangs' of
people out in the streets wandering around. i must say that alot of people
thought that the storm was over, because the eye was so wide. one of my dads
friends was supposedly lighting a grill to cook steaks!!! some people began
to take down shutters and others were out driving to see what had happened.
me and my brother went out and looked around for about an hour, because on
the radar, we could see that the eye was very large, and strong winds were
about another three hours away. we took some photos, but mostly looked. we
were home in time for the other side of the eye to come over us. we heard on
the radio "the wind is gusting to 93mph at gambier village" and then "the
weather is fierce now at texaco seaside on east bay street." i went to my
neighbors house, and we both live on the sea, so we could see clearly the
pitch black clouds coming for us. when the second side of the eye hit us,
the winds and rain were much stonger. tide was high, and the waves hitting
the shoreline at Fox Hill Creek were atleast 10 feet high. i'll put it like
this: our seafront has a large, concrete wall about 13 feet high. waves were
breaking over this with ease! our yard was full of seawater, and our
grandmothers yard, which is right next to us, had about two feet of seawater
on the lawn. All wooden docks on eastern road east of Dicks Point, were
ripped away, broken up, or severely damaged. my neighbors dock ended up on
his patio ten feet higher and twenty feet inland of where it origionally
was. several large concrete docks were destroyed also. our 25' boat sank as
a result of waves coming over the seawall into our little pool, but we
bailed it out by hand at low tide, and saved the motor for the time being.
there was not that much inland damage, except for flooding in low-lying
areas (up to some peoples waists)and alot of large trees down across the
roads. there were few power lines down, but BEC had to shut the power off
due to live wires and water (not a good combination!!). the worst thing was
that the strongest part of the hurricane hit during the high tide- this
caused flooding, severe coastal erosion, and high waves in the harbour. i
might add that the fetch for those 13 foot waves is only about 1 1/2 to 2
miles. anyway, if there is anything else that you would like to know, just
ask me at bahamaboy151 AT hotmail.com.
sincerely,
David Rees
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| - Last Michelle Update |
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Well Folks here we are on the other side... Nassau has come through quite well. Lost a lot of trees (including one of my personal favourites, a lot of wind and salt burnt plants, broken tree limbs, shutters-awnings & roof tiles. Some structures have lost roofs but they are an exception. As I mentioned before flooding was the major part of this disaster and for some people in low lying areas the damage will be quite a bit worse and recovery will take a little longer. Road crews were out today and the activity from the Government is nice to see. At last word power had been restored to majority of the island and all major roads were made clear of fallen trees and debris. The Bahamas Defence Force was mobilized last night to try and reduce the incidences of looting that were unfortunately a large part of Floyd. All the airlines have resumed service and after a heavy day of cleaning, removal and repair we will be able to open the restaurant tomorrow for lunch. Lastly, I would like to thank all of the people who have sent their best wishes and prayers for us. Your words of support, encouragement and advice have been greatly appreciated. If your ever in Nassau I hope you'll pay us a visit, All the very Best, Sarah |
| - Michelle |
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Well we awoke this morning to sunny blue skies but the wind is still pretty stiff. I lost power just as I sent the last update and found it restored only this morning when we woke up. The back side of Michelle was far more nasty than the front side. We have lost most of our trees but Thank Goodness no reported injuries on the Island. From the news reports the worst damage was due to flooding. Some unfortunate people were reporting water waist high and higher. My husband managed to get down to Crocodile's before night fell (walking) and we have managed to suffer only minimal damage. Two coconuts snapped in half, saltwater damage to our electrical systems, and due to an improperly moored Haitian Smack we have lost a section of our seawall. All occupants on board rode out the storm in the bathroom. Just on our way down to begin clean up - I will send an eyewitness update later in the day Thanks to everybody for their thought and good wishes Sarah & David McCorquodale |
| - Michelle's Landing |
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Whew!! - is all that Bahamians should be saying this morning. The eye has just passed over us and the wind is beginning to clock back around. Reports from our security guard on the harbour say that the tropical wind damage is minimal, but with high tide still 2 hours away there should be an increase in the flooding of low lying areas. The South Shore (Yamacraw, Coral Harbour etc) was evacuated last night due to worries of surge and rain accumulation but on the plus side again is the lack of rain on the back side of this storm. Power is reported out in a few districts, but our remains on with only a few fluctuations in the night. A telephone check with friends shows only previously undiscovered leaks and low spots. The North side of Paradise Island and a friend in Fox Hill have all reported in fine. We will let this wind die down and try to get a look at Crocodile's at 2:00 or so... I will write again after we get back (and if Bahamas Electric is willing) Sarah bigbite AT batelnet.bs |
| - michelle in nassau | |
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| - Michelle's Approach |
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We are getting conflicting news regarding Michelle's final approach into Nassau. According to the Bahamas Met - the eye is now expected to be 20 miles NNW of Nassau by 8:00 to 10:00 A.M. (Unfortunately well within the hurricane eye) and they are telling us to prepare for a 6 - 12 foot surges and battering waves. Terribly bad news for Crocodile's... She has passed quicker than expected over Cuba and has now emerged over the Florida Straits. South Andros is now experiencing 50 knot winds and expects Tropical Force within hours. People have spent this evening getting those shutters up but conditions are starting to rapidly change. Strong gusts and rain showers are now here making outside terribly uncomfortable. We have sealed the final shutters in place and are settling in for the long night. A bientot Sarah |
| - From Shirley Gross |
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Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2001 17:31:01 -0500 From: Shirley Gross <fsgross AT batelnet.bs> Hi Gert, I was just able to go on line as we have been having power problems periodically today, so have been without power for the most part. This; however, has nothing to do with the storm. I talked to BEC, Rock Sound and they will keep the power going as long as they can tomorrow and then will pull the power for the island. We live just a mile north of James Cistern on Eleuthera. Yes, we are boarded up and have our hurricane shelter prepared. We have been through tons of hurricanes, but two major ones, Andrew and Floyd and have weathered them in our small but protected shelter. People are preparing on the island. Some are boarding. At first the Bahamians didn't want to think we would have another hurricane especially at this time of the year, but finally are making preperations. The weather has been so bad around here for two weeks, windy, cloudy, and rainy. Tomorrow will tell the tale. Thank you for your update. I will try and go on line tomorrow to see what you have forcasted at that time. Shirley Gross |
| - from the bahamas |
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 SWEET 'T'Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com |
| - Bahamas vs. Michelle |
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The sounds of hammers can be heard throughout Nassau today. A solid rain started early this morning with a good breeze and you can feel them both picking up slowly. We are expecting Gale Force winds by this evening. Unfortunately the preparations in the Bahamas usually come last minute and only approximately half of all the buildings have shutters up. This also makes people a little more tense, with long lines at the grocery stores and the lumber supply yard tempers are a little short. Although Michelle will be moving quickly, our restaurant is on the harbour and we are praying that she visits during low tide. We are all battened down and have left a security camera rolling to capture what we can of the storm. Almost all of the boats anchored in the harbour have found alternative arrangements, but a few have decided to just ride it out on the hurricane chains. The Atlantis Resort is once again generously offering to shelter those in need. Lastly, our thoughts & wishes go out to all those who have sat beneath this storm for so many days... A bientot, Sarah |
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