GB Residents Allege Blasting Leaving Homes Cracked

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GRAND BAHAMA , BAHAMAS – Cracks along walls, damaged posts, and repairs some residents say they’ve had to make more than once.

People living in Hepburn Town, Bartlett Hill and Harbour West are alleging this is what years of living near Bahama Rock’s operations have looked like.

And now, they’re speaking out.

Gloria Munroe-Rolle has called Harbour West home for more than 40 years.

And as she walked us around the home she shares with her husband, she pointed to what she alleges years of blasting by Bahama Rock has left behind.

Gloria Munroe-Rolle – Resident, Harbour West
“I put it up because all of them was in crystal frames. Then they blast gone, they dance right off, dance right off. My house empty. All of it. See, I s- I used the things. My house is empty. All my crystals them break right up. His house was immense. Anybody who know me, they could tell how my house was.”

Over in Hepburn Town, Harold Curry also took Our News around his property, pointing to cracks he alleges are connected to Bahama Rock’s operations.

Curry says when blasting takes place, he can feel the ground shake.

He claims he’s already repaired some of the damage, only for cracks to appear again.

Harold Curry – Resident, Hepburn Town
“We feel the, the whole- Yes… the whole earth shake. Yes. And it’ll, you, when you look at the, the damages on the outside, you’ll, you’ll see it. You, you can see the cracks. And I already, I already repair some of the damages and still do again.”

Their pushback comes just days after Bahama Rock employees staged a public show of support for their employer.

The company is seeking approval to expand its mining operations onto the former Bahamas Cement Company property, as its currently permitted limestone reserves are near exhaustion.

But Margarita Stubbs-Campbell says residents in Hepburn Town, Bartlett Hill, Harbour West and surrounding areas want their concerns heard as that process moves forward.

She says they’re not against the workers, but they are worried about their homes and what they claim continued dredging and blasting could mean for their communities.

Margarita Stubbs-Campbell – Resident, Hepburn Town
“We’re in this community, we’re so close to the waters, and if they was to keep trenching and trenching, the storms and hurricanes, how we’d be able to fight that? So we stand in agreement with the communities, the families of the communities, asking Bahama Rock to see us, to hear us, hear our cries.”

Our News did reach officials at Bahama Rock for comment, but they declined.

However, for these residents, they want Bahama Rock to come into the affected communities, assess their homes, and determine whether the company’s operations are responsible for the damage.