NASSAU, Bahamas (2 Sep 2004) -- Bahamians huddled in homes, churches and emergency shelters on Thursday as ferocious Hurricane Frances swept through the Atlantic island tourist playground, ripping up trees and battering beaches. Prime Minister Perry Christie told the Bahamas' 300,000 people they were facing one of the most intense storms in the recorded history of the former British colony as Frances blasted through with 145-mph winds and a sea surge up to 14 feet above normal. "We have faced many such perils in the course of the centuries and have always pulled through," Christie said. "With God's grace we will do so again. Be of good courage then, for our faith is in the God of all creation -- the God who rides upon the storm." Frances first hit Mayaguana, an island at the southern end of the chain of some 700 low-lying islands stretching from north of Haiti to Florida. The nation's balmy Caribbean breezes lure millions of visitors annually and tourism accounts for about 60 percent of gross domestic product. Sixty-eight people were evacuated to Mayaguana's Mt. Carmel Church in the tiny settlement of Pirates Well as 100 mph- plus winds lashed the area. At Acklins island, trees and flagpoles were torn down as winds built up during the night. Residents of the Snug Corner settlement were evacuated from their homes into shelters. By Thursday afternoon the storm was battering San Salvador (news - web sites), which claims Christopher Columbus' first New World landing in 1492. Frances edged closer to the Bahamas' main population centers -- Nassau, the capital and Grand Bahama Island. Downtown Nassau was a ghost town at lunch hour. Homeowners were still making last-minute attempts to buy plywood to board up their houses. Nassau International Airport was closed. There was also a last-minute rush at water bottling plants as residents queued for supplies. Launderettes were packed as families washed clothes in advance of expected power cuts. | | Bahamians queue for supplies as Hurricane Frances edges closer. Plywood suppliers were accused of hiking prices by up to 60 percent, despite strong warnings from the government against price gouging. In the neighboring Turks and Caicos, a tiny British colony of about 20,000 people, initial reports indicated damage was not as bad as had been feared. The eye of the storm skirted north of the islands. "There were a lot of trees down but not too much rain," said Mark Fulford, an assistant to Chief Minister Michael Misick. "I think quite a few poles were blown down and three people lost the roofs of their homes that we know of." Schoolteacher Sarah Edge said damage did not appear as bad as expected. "The wind and noise were ferocious during the night and kept us all awake. The power and phone lines went out some time during the night," she said. "But we have driven round the island and it's remarkable how little damage was caused." SOURCE - Reuters |
