(Eleuthera, Bahamas) – Local boat captains and fishermen as well as Royal Bahamas Police Force colleagues in neighbouring islands have been alerted to be on the lookout for any signs of the bodies of Ryan McCardy (28) and Johnson Blanc who went missing at sea, near the Atlantic Eleuthera coast in the area of Hatchet Bay’s Unit 2 beach on Sunday, May 5th, 2013.  This has been confirmed by Superintendent of Police on Eleuthera, Ismella Davis.

Searches along the northern shorelines are currently ongoing, with the intent of bringing closure to the families and to the investigation.

Eleuthera and Emergency Response

  • In response to medical emergencies on Eleuthera, the local police force, local nurses, local doctors and local volunteers from organizations such as HACE in Central Eleuthera and SEEP in South Eleuthera have been able to respond quickly to accident scenes and render life saving assistance to the injured.
  • Currently anyone seeking hospital care must still be flown out of the island to New Providence at significant expense to family, however, if political promises are kept, the island will see a Hospital built under the current administration.
  • In response to road safety, the local police in partnership with One Eleuthera have spearheaded a campaign which is ongoing. Noteworthy is that the efforts are being driven locally as was acknowledged by the Minister of State for Transport and Aviation, Hope Strachan, on a recent visit to Central Eleuthera.
  • In the case of fires, local volunteers have in the past year been very successful at preventing the spread of fire beyond the object (building, car etc) that caught fire initially.
  • To combat economic challenges, the Eleuthera Chamber of Commerce continues to lobby government and partnered recently with the TCL Group to host the first Eleuthera Business Outlook.

The unfortunate reality on the island, however, where fishing is a way of life for many, is that local resources have proven to be limited in response to emergencies at sea. When the news broke on Sunday May 5th  2013 that Ryan and Johnson were missing, just off an accessible beach, five minutes from the main road, in Hatchet Bay,  the search was restricted to predominantly naked eye scanning from the shoreline.

READ: Five capsize off Hatchet Bay north side, Eleuthera, two people still missing.