Long Islanders: We’ve Been Through Worse

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LONG ISLAND, BAHAMAS – Our News’ Jerome Sawyer touched down in Long Island Friday, October 31st, and despite a flooded airport and scattered damage, he recalls that there was a sense of relief, as the experience was a far cry from the devastation of Hurricane Joaquin, almost exactly ten years ago.

JEROME SAWYER – JEROME.SAWYER@CABLEBAHAMAS.COM

Even before landing, Civil Aviation officials warned that the Deadman’s Cay Airport runway was still underwater. But after a successful stress test in San Salvador, the team confirmed that conditions had improved enough to allow a Bahamas Defence Force aircraft to touch down, the first post-Hurricane Melissa flight, at 10:40 Friday morning.

We hopped onto the back of a police truck and pushed through stagnant floodwaters to the terminal, evidence that the airport will remain closed for some time.

A short drive led us to Cartwright’s Settlement, where locals were already busy cleaning up and reopening businesses. At Knowles Supply, residents lined up for essential goods.

PHILIP ADDERLEY – RESIDENT, LONG ISLAND

“Plenty water and plenty shingles get removed.”

YASMINE KNOWLES – REPRESENTATIVE, KNOWLES SUPPLY

“The water was just pouring down off that hill, inches and inches of rainwater. We had to back out in the eye of the storm, fill up crawfish bags with quarry, and block the doors with plywood.”

Knowles says the community came together to clean up, and with the help of generator power, her family business reopened within a day.

Video shared with Our News shows the extent of flooding and cleanup needed to restore operations. Other clips across the island captured the strength of Hurricane Melissa as it passed, uprooting trees and ripping shingles from rooftops.

Still, many residents say Melissa was mild compared to 2015’s Joaquin.

KEVIN PRATT – SURVIVOR, JOAQUIN

“It wasn’t a bad experience. I’ve been in Joaquin, so this was much better. Just a bunch of trees falling, no major damages.”

As life slowly returns to normal in Long Island, one critical component remains offline,  the Deadman’s Cay Airport, which will stay closed until floodwaters fully subside.