Today In History: September 26th

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – On this day in Bahamian history, in 1929, the Bahamas Hurricane ended its battering of the Bahama Islands.

This storm lasted for three consecutive days as the storm remained almost stationary at 2 mph over New Providence and Andros.

The hurricane devastated the northwest Bahamas and impacted the economy of the Bahamas for years to follow. This storm occurred during the peak of the sponging era. Seventy percent of all of the sponge vessels and schooners throughout The Bahamas were destroyed in this storm. 

This storm killed 134 persons and well over 5,000 were left homeless in New Providence. At the time, the population of New Providence in 1929 was approximately 13,000 people. 

Seventy-three percent of all the homes and businesses in Nassau were destroyed. Ninety-five percent of all of the churches in Nassau and all of the churches in Andros were destroyed. 

The storm prompted the government of The Bahamas to switch from sponging to tourism as the number one industry. It also was a major factor for implementing building codes.

In 2018, a top Disney cruise line executive outlined their plans for the controversial Lighthouse Point project.

At the time, environmentalists had argued that the project at Lighthouse Point may destroy the ecological and cultural assets of the local environment. They urged Disney to find a different location for its cruise port, citing the “long-term harm” it may cause to the environment.

Disney had maintained its “commitment to the environment” by promising to develop only 20 percent of the property and employing sustainable building practices.

Then in 2019, missing posters were released three weeks after Hurricane Dorian ravaged Abaco and Grand Bahama.