Today In History: September 22nd

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history, on September 22nd, the 1929 Bahamas Hurricane, also known as the Great Andros Island Hurricane formed in the Atlantic.

It was a category 4 tropical cyclone whose intensity and slow forward speed led to catastrophic damage in The Bahamas, particularly on Andros and New Providence.

Its erratic path and lack of nearby weather observations made the hurricane difficult to locate and forecast. 

The hurricane was responsible for 48 deaths in the country mainly in Andros. 

The devastation of the hurricane was immortalized in the song “Run Come See” by Alphonso ‘Blind Blake’ Higgs.

The storm later made two landfalls in Florida, killing eleven but causing comparatively light damage. 

Moisture from the storm led to extensive flooding over the Southeastern United States, particularly along the Savannah River. Across its path from The Bahamas to the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, the hurricane killed 155 people.

The storm’s origins can be traced to tropical wave first noted near the Cabo Verde Islands on September 11, 1929. This tropical disturbance remained dormant as it tracked west until September 18, when an associated area of thunderstorms developed into a tropical depression northeast of Puerto Rico. Gradually strengthening, the depression reached tropical storm strength on September 22 and hurricane strength on September 23. 

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In 2019… Then Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis formed a new ministry to tackle disaster response.

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And in 2021 11 ministers were sworn into the Davis-led Cabinet pushing the number to nearly two-dozen ministers.

The new ministers included Obie Wilchcombe, Minister of Social Services and Urban Development; Keith Bell, Minister of Labor and Immigration; Vaughn Miller, Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources; JoBeth Coleby-Davis, Minister of Transport and Housing; Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; Mario Bowleg, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Five junior ministers also took the oath of allegiance and office including: Basil McIntosh as Minister of State for the Environment; Lisa Rahming as Minister of State for Social Services and Urban Development; Pia Glover-Rolle as Minister of State for the Public Service; Myles Laroda as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister and Zane Lightbourne as Minister of State for Education, Technical and Vocational Training.