GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas -- Once the “All Clear” signal had been given by the Bahamas Meteorological Department, following the passage of Hurricane Nicole, Minister for Grand Bahama, Hon. Ginger Moxey was on the ground on Thursday morning (November 10, 2022) making her way into various Grand Bahama communities, making an assessment of damages that had been caused by Nicole.

Minister Moxey focused most of her initial assessment in West Grand Bahama, going from Eight Mile Rock to West End.

“Based on the assessment, I can safely say that we have done pretty well during the passing of Hurricane Nicole,” said Minister Moxey. “There has been some flooding in West End and there was a lot of debris in the streets. But as we can see, clean up has already begun.”

Hurricane Nicole battered Abaco and Grand Bahama as a Tropical storm on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, but increased in intensity, forming into a Category One Hurricane, packing sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, as it began its exit from the second city on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.

Hurricane shelters had been opened and evacuations had taken place in a number of communities, including Sweeting’s Cay, East Grand Bahama and parts of West Grand Bahama. However, many residents made the decision to weather the storm in their homes. While Nicole had been a Tropical Storm as it approached Abaco and Grand Bahama, the main concern was high surge and extreme flooding because of a combination of heavy rain from the system, with the seas being at king tide.

Officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had urged residents in flood proned communities to evacuate because of the potential for extensive flooding. True to prediction, Tropical Storm Nicole brought severe flooding in both Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Asked about mandatory evacuations for residents, Minister Moxey said it is something that is always discussed. However, she said everything was done to send out the warnings and to try and encourage people to evacuate properties that were in low-lying areas or those near the coast.  “I believe that because it was a tropical storm at the time, many residents made their decisions based on that,” said Minister Moxey. “I know that we have been very, very supportive and as government, we’ve done all that we can to ensure that all of our people are safe.”

About the flooding in West Grand Bahama, Minister Moxey said the plans are to put in more drainage and construct additional seawalls. That, she said is a part of the budget.

“We’re focused really on resiliency. The master plan for this island that we’re working on is tied to building with resiliency because Grand Bahama is known as the center of resilience, because we deal with so many of these storms.

“Moving ahead, we really look to strengthen our infrastructure and to be able to build with resiliency. I believe that we always learn something every time we go through these storms. What I would say is that we came together – as normal – to ensure that our residents were safe. All agencies and other regulatory bodies all came together and we were able to effectively navigate through this system.

“Of course, having the weather department with the frequent updates and the media reports, they assisted us with getting the word out there to the public to evacuate in some areas and for residents to stay indoors during the storm. We’re happy that everyone came together to ensure that Grand Bahamians remained safe.

“As far as this storm is concerned, Grand Bahama is in a good place, because we didn’t do too well in Hurricane Dorian.”

As Tropical Storm Nicole approached Grand Bahama, there was concern for the residents in East Grand Bahama, who had suffered severely during Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Many homes in East Grand Bahama, which was hit the hardest, were destroyed, forcing many to leave the community for a while.

As far as how East Grand Bahama fared during the passage of Hurricane Nicole, Senator James Turner reported that early on Thursday morning, he and a team travelled into East Grand Bahama, as far as McLean’s Town to assess any damage there: “There was some moderate flooding in the roads, but if you had a four by four or a truck you could get by. Of course, the roofs that were already compromised suffered a little more. But overall, the news is good. No one got hurt, everyone is in good spirits and everyone has plans to move on.” 

Senator Kirkland Russell said the government did what was necessary to prepare residents for Tropical storm Nicole. He said the government did what was necessary in evacuating persons who wanted to leave; they opened and properly managed the shelters and ensured that the Emergency Operations Center was properly manned and the operation was at the highest standard.

“We want to ensure all of our residents who may have been suffering from Dorian, those who may have incurred new damages to their homes that they need assistance with, the government is at the ready,” said Senator Russell. “Teams are already out and about, carrying out assessments.  The government is ready to provide all of the necessary assistance that is needed to get our islands back to a state of normalcy as quick as possible. And that includes assessments of all of our business sectors, hotel sectors and everything else. We are here and we are ready to go.”