FAMILY Islands in the southern Bahamas are pulling themselves together in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which entered Bahamian waters as a Category 2 storm, bringing flooding, roof damage, and prolonged power and water outages, with some residents needing to be rescued due to excessive flooding.
Officer in Charge of Long Island Superintendent Kendrick Brown revealed that they received a call from a family of four who had to be rescued from their home and taken to the Clarence Town Community Center where the hurricane shelter on Long Island is located.
"Earlier that day we had a female that we had to rescue and she was also taken to the hurricane shelter for safe keeping," Superintendent Brown said. "Other than that, we had limited to no calls for rescue. Persons battened down and they stayed in their residents."
Long Island Administrator Jandilee Archer told The Tribune yesterday that she conducted a full assessment of the island alongside representatives from the Ministries of Health, Social Services, and the Environment. She said the island sustained some noticeable damage, but nothing residents could not recover from -- thankful that no lives were lost.
Shelters on the island were opened a day early under national instruction and were utilised by several residents, with most Long Islanders heeding hurricane preparation warnings, according to Ms Archer.
"The storm was really bad from about eight to ten o'clock that evening," Ms Archer said. "We had some homes flooded and several roofs damaged, but everyone took precautions and came through safely."
At the time of reporting, Long Island remained without power and water, though telephone communication was maintained throughout the storm. Crews from Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) and Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) were already on the ground working to restore service lines.
Ms Archer said the northern side of Long Island experienced the worst of the flooding, adding that some homes were flooded while Deadman's Cay Airport was also affected, leaving Stella Maris Airport as the only usable airstrip.
"The northern settlements really took the brunt of the flooding," she explained. "We had reports of standing water in some homes and road erosion in low-lying areas."
She added that residents have already begun clearing debris and assisting one another in recovery efforts.
"People are checking on their neighbours, helping clean yards and clear the roads," Ms Archer said. "Once power and water are restored, we'll be well on our way back to normal."
Assessments are expected to be forwarded to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for review, with relief supplies to be dispatched to affected communities in the coming days.
Exuma Chief Councillor Glenn Davis said the island was "doing pretty well" having experienced moderate rainfall and temporary power outages during Hurricane Melissa but reported no major structural damage.
He said they didn't experience too much flood damage outside "one or two" persons who suffered from flooding, however, Mr Davis said the community came together with cleaning up exercises after the all clear was given Thursday morning.
"Members from different government agencies came together - we put together a pretty good team, working very well together, we were ready for the storm and we're glad it didn't come and cause more harm."
Power and communication services were interrupted overnight but were restored within hours after the storm's passage. Crews from BPL carried out early morning inspections to address downed lines and damaged poles.
With no power, the Exuma chief councilor said they are trying to get gas onto the island, but they will keep patient until things are back up and running.
"We've been in contact with the DRMA and they've been very efficient with us," Mr Davis said. "We have to put our numbers together and send in those reports - they did a good job too in terms of managing all the islands."
Mr Davis said local government teams conducted initial assessments across the island, with cleanup efforts and debris removal underway by Sunday morning. No injuries or loss of life were reported, and all major roads remained passable.
Former Crooked Island Chief Councillor David Ferguson said the island largely escaped major damage during Hurricane Melissa, with residents reporting only minor roof damage and isolated flooding in some areas.
Mr Ferguson, who resides in Colonel Hill, said the central part of the island experienced minimal structural impact. He noted that while some roofs lost shingles and a few older buildings sustained superficial damage, there were no reports of collapsed structures or serious destruction.
"We had some superficial damage -- a few roofs lost shingles here and there -- but nothing that could be called major," Mr Ferguson said. "For the most part, we fared pretty well."
Flooding was limited and mostly contained to small pockets, aided by the island's high ground and recent heavy rainfall that had already saturated the soil prior to the storm. Roadways remained passable, allowing residents to check on neighbouring settlements.
"The roads weren't too bad. I drove out in my truck, but there wasn't any serious flooding," he said. "Over the past few weeks, we'd had a lot of rain already, so the ground was saturated -- I think the hurricane just kind of activated that a bit."
Power was shut off ahead of the storm and had not been restored as of yesterday, with residents relying on private generators. Fuel costs on the island are high, creating additional hardship for those depending on generators for electricity and water pumping.
"Power went off the day before the hurricane came in, and we're still without commercial power," he said. "I've been running my generator, but it's expensive -- gas is about eight dollars a gallon in Crooked Island."
Mr Ferguson said water supply from the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) had not yet been restored to most parts of the island, with some residents depending on well systems powered by generators.
Communication services were also interrupted during the hurricane but have since returned intermittently. Despite the outages, Mr Ferguson said residents in Colonel Hill and surrounding communities fared well and were thankful to have avoided serious losses.
Utica Laurel Lightbourne, a resident of Abraham's Bay, said Mayaguana endured strong winds and rough seas overnight as Hurricane Melissa passed through the southern Bahamas, bringing gusts estimated between 70 and 80 miles per hour.
"It was really strong; you couldn't stand up outside in it," Ms Lightbourne said, adding that it lasted through the night until "about three or four in the morning".
Based on her account, most homes on the island sustained only minor damage -- including missing shingles and loose plywood -- the most significant impact occurred at the mailboat dock, where heavy surf caused the sea to breach the dock wall and wash debris across the access road.
The flooding made the area impassable and is expected to delay mailboat services and supply deliveries until it can be cleared, which Ms Lightbourne says, is the biggest concern.
"The ocean breached the wall and connected with the pond on the other side of the road," she explained. "That's a normal problem when the weather gets bad, but it's something the government needs to look at so we don't go through this every storm."
Officials said cleanup of the dock area and restoration of basic utilities will be prioritised to allow mailboat operations and supply shipments to resume as soon as possible.
Power and water services remained offline yesterday, as utility personnel evacuated ahead of the storm. Communication networks were also down; however, residents relied on Starlink satellite internet for connectivity and to contact family members on other islands.
"Phone service is down, but I've been using Starlink," Ms Lightbourne said. "Most of the people who stayed behind come here to use it to call their families or check on loved ones."
Roads across the island were largely clear of fallen trees and major debris, though vegetation damage indicated the strength of the overnight winds, according to the Mayaguana resident, adding that no serious injuries or loss of life were reported.
"It wasn't scary, just surprising," he said. "We were told the storm was heading more toward Long Island, so we didn't expect winds that strong."
Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) released a press statement, detailing that crews began restoration efforts within hours of the all-clear being issued, with teams dispatched across the Central and Southeast Bahamas to assess damage and re-energise critical areas, reporting that they've made steady progress on Exuma, Long Island, Cat Island, and San Salvador, facing challenges of flooding, downed lines, and impassable roads in some settlements.
Power has already been restored to sections of Exuma, and portions of Cat Island and San Salvador, at the time of reporting, while work continues in Long Island, Acklins, and Long Cat, and Crooked Island, where personnel had been evacuated ahead of the storm.