HURRICANE ISAIAS PAYS US A VISIT!

Neighbours lose shingles during Hurricane Isaias

Well, we have survived. Hurricane Isaias has left The Bahamas!

When I woke up Saturday morning to crazy weather, I felt quite nervous. The power was off, wind howling and rain beating down. We had been warned that Isaias would bring quite a lot of rain and possible storm surges.

It reminded me of Hurricane Matthew, which I wrote about HERE. I prayed we wouldn't get another one like that - or even worse, a "Hurricane Dorian", which Grand Bahama and Abaco suffered terribly from in September 2019!

However, we were lucky. My husband Erskine summarized it for me. When Isaias approached us, the eye was 45 miles south of New Providence. Hurricane force winds were only 35 miles from eye, so we were 10 miles away from hurricane force winds and only had tropical force winds. The eye of the storm passed over Andros, which is west of us. By Saturday evening we knew we were in the clear.

We understand there has been no severe damage, no injuries and no deaths anywhere in The Bahamas. However, some homes have been affected by high water from the rain in low lying areas. My heart goes out to those residents. Our power was restored after eight hours. Others were not so fortunate.

Now Isaias is heading for the Carolinas as a Tropical Storm (possibly becoming a hurricane again). I wonder if everyone will be able to pronounce the name Isaias properly by the time it dissolves!

THE STIRLING OBSERVER FEATURES MOONBEAMS FROM THE SOUL!

I was delighted to be sent a pdf of this article by Kaiya Marjoribanks, Senior Reporter at The Stirling Observer. This not only informs their readers about Moonbeams from the Soul, my new book of short stories, but also lets them know a little about the terrible effects of Hurricane Dorian on Abaco and Grand Bahama islands and a link to where interested persons can go to help with the hurricane relief. I think Kaiya did a fabulous job with this article! Stirling is where I was born and brought up.

THE EXETER DAILY, ENGLAND, PICKS UP MOONBEAMS STORY

THE EXETER DAILY, DEVON, ENGLAND
OCTOBER 7, 2019

This article about the release of “Moonbeams from the Soul”, my fifth book at age 75, appeared in The Exeter Daily, England, on October 7th. 

I really appreciate The Exeter Daily giving this such a spread. I hope that the article in some small way might help bring more donations and assistance internationally for Hurricane Dorian victims. 

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE

CAYMAN ISLANDS HELP WITH HURRICANE DORIAN RELIEF IN THE BAHAMAS

The Cayman Islands have also been doing a fantastic job, assisting with hurricane relief for Abaco and Grand Bahama. The Cayman Compass reported that British High Commissioner to the Bahamas Sarah Dickson said: “Within hours of Hurricane Dorian passing, the Cayman Islands government offered the RCIPS helicopter to the people of the Bahamas, and they have been such a valuable resource.”

Read Cayman Compass article HERE

In addition, the Cayman Red Cross is collecting funds and several banks and other organisations there are collecting donations.

And Cayman hospitals have sent medical supplies to The Bahamas:

Read about it HERE

WE WILL OVERCOME - #BahamasStrong

What an amazing sight on a rooftop here in Nassau, Bahamas, this morning - 13 Ibis on Friday, September 13th! Some might say this was a “sign”. I like to think it was an indication that Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands will bounce back even stronger from the deadly Cat 5 Hurricane Dorian that devastated those islands last week.

Although we didn’t get Hurricane Dorian in Nassau/New Providence we still felt the effects of beta bands from Hurricane Dorian with torrential rain and thunderstorms and flooding in low lying areas. But that was nothing compared to what the hurricane inflicted on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama. So many on those islands have lost everything.

We have heard tragic first hand reports from evacuees of the hurricane ravaged islands as people escaped to New Providence. It is heart wrenching. There has been much activity on land, air and sea on and around New Providence with relief efforts for the devastated islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama and incoming evacuation of traumatized victims of Hurricane Dorian. Many have died and hundreds are still missing.

Bahamian and International communities and organizations are pulling together to help the victims of Hurricane Dorian. The UK and Denmark sent aid ships to help with relief. The U.S. sent search and rescue crews and helicopters to help with evacuations. The list of international help is too long to mention here, but there are international and local organizations that continue to feed thousands of evacuees on New Providence. They work in conjunction with NEMA (The Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency), which gives daily press conferences.

Last Sunday New Providence Community Church's service was held in the Andros Ballroom of the Baha Mar Convention Centre, as the church is being used for their Hurricane Dorian Relief Initiative. Many evacuees from Grand Bahama and Abaco were present at the moving service. The New Providence Community Centre on Blake Road, Nassau, is receiving donations from 7.30 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily. They also have a Call Centre set up to report missing persons in Abaco or Grand Bahama or to receive emergency relief - Tel. 698-CARE (2273). NPCC updates can be found on their Facebook page. Many other local churches and organizations have undertaken similar relief initiatives.

As power, water and communications begin to be reconnected to the afflicted islands, The Bahamas is determined to move on #BahamasStrong.