Bahamas Chatter: “Bahamas Update after Irma” plus 1 more

We have received bits and pieces of information from various sources and will continue to post them here as they come in. We invite you to post text and links and pictures as you get them.
Thanks,
Monty and Sara Lewis
Explorer Chartbooks

Peace and Plenty Hotel in George Town, Exuma, reported moderate damage to their dock but little damage otherwise.

Exuma Yacht Club suffered serious damage to its docks. A major rebuild will be required.

We had a report of Big Major’s Swimming Pigs with no harm done. The Central and Northern Exumas did not seem to suffer any damage except perhaps for beach erosion and some downed trees.

Long Island was spared any major damage. The odd thing was all the water being pushed out of the bank side, leaving the western flats exposed.

A video of Acklins showed a walk along the western shoreline revealing thousands of dead fish washed up. Again, water was pushed off the bank side exposing flats and habitats.

Ragged Island took a bad hit with buildings destroyed.

Bimini experienced water over the streets and many buildings with floors under water as well as marina docks under water and being hammered by waves. No report on the extent of damage.

We will continue to post news from Irma’s passage as we get it. Please feel free to send us more information to share.

Sara and Monty Lewis

TCI photos
http://tinyurl.com/ybgtmqjk

More pix
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6bxfl1xyxz9svjb/AAAvh4TCx0w3QffSJzs8KYBsa?dl=0

Sept. 9, From Dan at TCI Villas:
Thankfully I still have not heard of any loss of life or injuries. We have heard back on the condition of most villas and almost without exception the damage is very minimal. A status on power/water/communications/airport is below

Water – Statement from the water company – Following yesterday’s temporary switch on, Provo Water Company have identified and fixed a number of bursts caused by Hurricane Irma. We shall be switching on water supply again today between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., so once again encourage customers to fill water containers between those hours to have water available when the water supply is switched off again. We again request that any leaks or bursts observed are reported to 231-0705. This will enable us to record and attend to those leaks, to more quickly restore normal operations at the earliest opportunity. If you do not have cell service, you can report observed leaks via this page. Thank you for your assistance and patience while we restore the network.
Power – Fortis trucks can be seen throughout the island making repairs. As soon as the airport opens Fortis said it will bring in 50+ additional workers to help get power lines restored. They estimate 2-3 weeks until power is largely restored. A statement from them is attached
Communications – The cell phone voice network is mostly down however the cell phone data network is operating sporadicly. I have had success calling the island over the data network as opposed to the cell phone network. The free app “Whatsapp” can be used to make/receive voice calls over the data network.. This app also has a texting feature.
Airport – PRESS RELEASE HURRICANE IRMA ?UPDATE? #2?: Flight Operations Soon Restored
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands, Saturday, September 9th, 2017– The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) announces that flight operations will soon be restored as we assess the aftermath of the storm and first focus on emergency and rescue flights.
Scheduled carrier flights remain suspended within the Turks & Caicos Islands until further notice.
Flight operations are expected to resume at all Airports as soon as possible, since the ” All Clear” has been issued.
As the airport operator and air navigation service provider, the Airports Authority remains committed to the safety of aircraft, passengers, staff and other users of the airport. The Authority regrets any inconvenience caused and passengers are asked to contact their respective airlines for flight scheduling.
The Airports Authority is grateful that we are able to survive this storm and will continue to focus on restoration efforts to ensure minimal disruption of service.
END

I previously mentioned that the beach in Turtle Cove is new and improved with a lot of sand. Here are some photos. This was taken in front of Conch Beach Villa (formerly Conch Pearl) which is just to the right of bridge road on coconut rd.

I will continue to send updates as I know them.

all best regards,
Dan (TCI Villas)

https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesTelevision/videos/1620134271376078/