Inagua Resident: “I Couldn’t Stay, I Had To Get Out”

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – As Hurricane Melissa barrels closer to the southern Bahamas as a dangerous Category 5 storm, hundreds of residents from Inagua, Acklins, Crooked Island, Mayaguana, and Ragged Island have been evacuated to New Providence for safety.

Evacuation flights began Tuesday evening and continued throughout Wednesday as government officials carried out a mandatory evacuation order issued by Prime Minister Philip Davis.

At the Lynden Pindling International Airport’s domestic terminal this morning, evacuees stepped off Bahamasair flights expressing a mix of relief and concern, thankful to be safe, but worried for loved ones who chose to remain behind.

Among them was Willie-Mae Bridgewater, who said she and her family followed evacuation instructions as soon as flights were announced.

“It all seemed to be well, but we’re taking instructions from those persons in authority for safety purposes,” she said. “So myself and family members all got on the flight.”

For longtime Inagua resident Shane Wilson, memories of Hurricane Ike in 2008 made the decision to leave an easy one.

“We had to come outta the shelter, go in the church, come out one part of the church, go in the next part of the church, it was rough,” Wilson recalled. “So this time, I couldn’t stay. I closed up and got out.”

Member of Parliament for MICAL Basil McIntosh said local administrators have been working around the clock to prepare residents and ensure smooth evacuations.

“They are doing the best they can,” McIntosh said. “Administrators prepared people the best they could by telling them to get ready for the possibility that they would have to be evacuated.”

Coordinating the large-scale operation is the Disaster Risk Management Authority (DRMA), working alongside Bahamasair and several international partners.

DRMA Executive Chairman Alex Storr said the goal is to get every willing resident to safety before weather conditions deteriorate further.

“We had a list of somewhere around 1,400 people, and that number may have grown since,” Storr explained. “We’re trying to get each and everybody out of the islands, from Inagua, Crooked Island, Ragged Island, Mayaguana, and the other southern islands, as the situation changes.”

Once evacuees arrive in New Providence, they are first processed at the Kendal G. Isaacs Gymnasium, before being transferred to shelters such as the New Providence Community Centre, or collected by relatives on the island.

As Hurricane Melissa moves closer, emergency teams continue to monitor the situation, with officials urging those who have not yet evacuated to do so immediately.