(BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Hon Shane Gibson, the Minister responsible for Hurricane Relief and Restoration told the Chinese Ambassador that it was a miracle no lives were lost as the catastrophic Hurricane Matthew passed through The Bahamas a week ago.
He made the statement during a presentation of $50,000 by His Excellency Huang Qinguo, the Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, during a ceremony at the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA on Friday, October 14, 2016..
A Handover Certificate was also signed by the ambassador and Director of NEMA Captain Stephen Russell, reflecting the amount donated to the disaster relief fund.
Minister Gibson thanked the Chinese government for being one of the first countries to assist The Bahamas, in the aftermath of the storm, which peaked to a Category 4 packing winds of 140mph before exiting the country Friday, October 7.
“We appreciate you being one of the first countries to assist us as in the past, and as we forge ahead with our relationship,” Mr. Gibson said.
The Island of New Providence experienced a Category 3 Hurricane Matthew, which caused massive flooding and storm surge along the eastern and southern shorelines and inner cities of the island.
And as a Category 4 storm in Lowe Sound, Andros destroying about 90 percent of homes and along the coastline in West End, Grand Bahama leaving massive destruction as well.
The hub of the country, Nassau, has also been severely impacted, said Mr. Gibson adding that “it is nothing short of a miracle that we had no deaths. We are fortunate we suffered no causalities.”
Mr. Gibson also acknowledged that NEMA did a wonderful job in alerting the public prior to the storm but as some residents refused to evacuate their homes, they had to be rescued during the storm due to severe flooding in their areas.
Further updating the Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Gibson said electricity seems to be the greatest challenge but BPL stated that 70 percent of power will be restored by the weekend. Also, water remains a challenge in some areas and Cable TV is dependent on electricity to restore services to homes. In Grand Bahama, electricity supply is connected to most parts.
Acknowledging that The Bahamas and China established diplomatic relations 19 years ago, Ambassador Huang said his country is pleased to offer assistance post Hurricane Matthew.
“China and The Bahamas are friendly partners and when you are in trouble, we respond quickly. When friends are in trouble, friends offer help,” he said.
Ambassador Huang said the Chinese Embassy also suffered damage to its roof during the passage of Hurricane Matthew.
