Hey, what's with this new development? Word out of various Bahamas customs depots [airports and shipping ports] says that anyone bringing in satellite phones right now to help coordinate hurricane relief in the face of the direct hit by Hurricane Frances later this week ... now has to pay full import and stamp tax???????????? Back in the days of Floyd, we had no problem bringing the phones in both import AND stamp tax free, given that they are a necessary communications tool once the traditional phone and cellular lines are down.

Who can we protest to?

Hey, what's with this new development? Word out of various Bahamas customs depots [airports and shipping ports] says that anyone bringing in satellite phones right now to help coordinate hurricane relief in the face of the direct hit by Hurricane Frances later this week ... now has to pay full import and stamp tax???????????? Back in the days of Floyd, we had no problem bringing the phones in both import AND stamp tax free, given that they are a necessary communications tool once the traditional phone and cellular lines are down.

Who can we protest to?

The storm has not us hit yet! When it does, or if it does, then they may reduce, or eliminate duties. But they know through bitter experience, that Bahamians will take shameless advantage whenever there is an opportunity.

taking advantage of the situation to bring in extra ceiling fans, air-conditioners ... taking care to prevent THAT, i can understand. but who would 'take advantage' of a satcom phone, which costs $800 to start with, plus $2 per minute to actually use?

you can always limit the import to one per family, in case you're concerned about someone making a business out of this.

which, hey ... why isn't an entrepreneurial bahamian stocking up on these, to rent for local use during storms? right now, the only folks making money on satphone rentals are in south florida.

because we dont have many storms.

well, we here in eleuthera have had to clean up from under andrew in 94, floyd in 99, michelle in 2002 and are now facing frances ... didn't realize that nassau was so sheltered from the daily news :dancer:!!

man, renting these phones out for $100 a week, you'd pay for them in no time. eleuthera police are scrambling to get more down here this week. the import duty tax doesn't help.

Ok, thats 3 storms in 10 years?? Floyd and Michelle was really nothing much here in Nassau.

No we dont get much of anything here in nassau, at least not to warrant the use of an expensive Satelite phone.

If you want to live cut off from society on an Outisland, then you have vto pay the price.

floyd positively flattened marsh harbour and the neighbouring abacos ... and marsh harbour is hardly 'cut off from society,' as you say. michelle didn't do much damage out here, but seemed to have a major flooding impact on new providence.

for two weeks after andrew, there was no communication with the outside world ... not even nassau had a grip on the extent of the damage. that's when we realized that satcom phones were an essential, not a luxury. not even nassau was able to communicate with five of its biggest islands for TWO WEEKS. last i saw the ad campaign, we're not advertising a third world country here ... especially one that's only one hour away from america.

the point is, yes, is now the proper time to impact government communications with a 100% import tax. there hasn't been such a tax in the past ten years ... why now? back to vhf radios for local communications, it appears ... which means that few on the outside in a position to help will know where that assistance is most needed.

yinna need to visit the out islands more ...

floyd positively flattened marsh harbour and the neighbouring abacos ... and marsh harbour is hardly 'cut off from society,' as you say. michelle didn't do much damage out here, but seemed to have a major flooding impact on new providence.

for two weeks after andrew, there was no communication with the outside world ... not even nassau had a grip on the extent of the damage. that's when we realized that satcom phones were an essential, not a luxury. not even nassau was able to communicate with five of its biggest islands for TWO WEEKS. last i saw the ad campaign, we're not advertising a third world country here ... especially one that's only one hour away from america.

the point is, yes, is now the proper time to impact government communications with a 100% import tax. there hasn't been such a tax in the past ten years ... why now? back to vhf radios for local communications, it appears ... which means that few on the outside in a position to help will know where that assistance is most needed.

yinna need to visit the out islands more ...

thanks, but Nassau is too cut off from the outside world as it is, sorry.

PS. We were able to communicate with each other in Nassau, thats all that mattered to me. Marsch Harbour, outisland, yep, cut off from society, like all outislands, even Nassau is almost as bad - TIRD WURLD.

I'm in the states worried about my loved ones. I've been watching the hurricanes path and praying that it turns and heads back out into the Atlantic. Do not take this lightly friends. Do what you have to do to prepare then if nothing happens, to God be the glory !!

anyone heard anything from the Turks & Caicos islands, wasnt it supposed to hit them today?

Rory,

No word of Turks and Caicos as of 10:00pm here in Florida. I have been keeping an eye on the weather channel for anything to do with all of you on the islands. Seen many in Abacos and Eleuthera boarding up and staying in their homes due to the fact of all the looting that happened after the last hurricane came through. I will try to update and hope that all of you or some of you at least can stay online. Do wish that there were more sat phones for everyone there. I know that with hurricane Charley that devastated my family's homes in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte Florida that the cell phones and land lines were out of use for quite sometime. Some cell phone usage but very limited and sporadic. Being that there may be such a need on the islands (all of them) I am hoping that other communication is available. Hope some of you still has the good ole 'Ham' radios still going on.
If any of you can get through please try to update me on what is happening back home.

In my heart and in my prayers,
Ejluv

ejluv, briland.com and eleu.net are doing a fair job of keeping everyone in that area informed as the storm progresses, i.e. governor's harbour flooding this morning prompted the evacuation of their primary storm centre, complete with immovable Inmarsat satcom phone which is NOT portable ... which means that news from governor's will be spotty. both sites have an active satcom/vhf radio/ham radio network going, judging from what i'm reading there.

as for other area sites, abacoboard at coconuttelegraph.net seems to be down right now. can't stream zns live right now, either. weather news is predicting the eye to hit south eleuthera around 2:00a friday, and nassau a few hours thereafter.

the trackability map at wunderground.com is a real wakeup call ...

god bless

I'm looking for word on conditions in Marsh Harbour? Does anyone know how bad they were hit?

I'm looking for word on conditions in Marsh Harbour? Does anyone know how bad they were hit?


Heard they had 12 hours of 80-100 mph winds. But they are ok.

Freeport has apparently had the worst of it all, as it slowed down over them, and been pounding them with rain and winds for 2 days now, with more to go, as well as numerous missing people, and injuries. It is slowly moving away from them and the bahamas now.

Hi,
Any news on San Salvador? Very concerned about the people there. Know that it went right over them. HIgh winds and wave action was said to have occured there. Been to the island many times to Gerace Research Center. Emailed GRC, but no reply. Am very very concerned. Any info would be appreciated.
Billy in Georgia