HURRICANE DORIAN: HERE WE GO AGAIN
The evidence is that the northern Bahamas is going to feel the hit and weight of a substantial hurricane called Dorian. The American press is going wild with predictions of winds up to 140 miles per hour. Most Bahamians follow the drama which the U S media makes out of hurricanes, as if they some human motivations. Is it going to turn left or right? Is it going to intensify? Will it sit over The Bahamas?
The result in the population is panic. People rush out and start battening up. The road as are packed. The stores are denuded of food. The airports are crazy. The Americans have ordered their diplomats and customs personnel to get out of dodge.
Unfortunately, it does not appear that Florida is a safe haven, since the storm is heading there as well or so it appears. On Saturday morning, they were saying by some models that the storm would only deliver glancing blow but would head up the coast , simply skirting Florida.
Our concern though is in the midst of this: where is the Bahamian Government. Until the Prime Minister and his colleagues were roused out of their sleep when the Leader of the Opposition Philip Davis told them that they ought to be addressing the country, they had nothing to say. If the storm is as serious as was being said, the question is why was the Bahamas Government asleep at the wheel.
There was a telling picture of all of them sitting it is said at the Shoal Restaurant in Nassau, enjoying a good meal. So, while the northern Bahamas was in a total panic, the Government led by the Prime Minister was having a great time, and a great meal. It just came off as insensitive and clueless. In other words, they performed to type.
Usually, the Prime Minister arranges a time for the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues to get briefed first hand on the hurricane situation. This time it had to be requested by the Leader of the Opposition. The briefing might not have come off at all, some smart guy decided that it would not be when the Prime Minister said but not until Friday 30th August 2019 at 7 p m. The Leader of the Opposition deferred. Fortunately, Captain Stephen Russel who heads NEMA intervened and it was rescheduled to Saturday 31 August 2019.
From all accounts, this is going to be a whopper. The people of Grand Bahama are especially panicked. They have suffered four devastating storms within the last decade. The economy is now down to rock bottom. If this is another blow, with a hopeless government at the wheel, what then everyone says.
We pray that is not the case and that we come out relatively unscathed.
Number of hits for the week ending Saturday, 31st August, 2019 up to midnight: 154,106;
Number of hits for the month of August up to Saturday, 31st August, 2019 up to midnight: 747,191;
Number of hits for the year 2019 up to Saturday, 31st August, 2019 up to midnight: 6,465,096.