Hurricane Jeanne Strikes The Bahamas

[Bahamas News]

Please post your updates and inquiries on Hurricane Jeanne in this area of the forum.

Click the links below to watch and listen live:

ZNS TV-13 (Bahamas) Live Feed (http://www.dabahamianting.com/stream2/)
ZNS 1540 AM Radio (Bahamas) Live Feed (http://www.dabahamianting.com/stream/)
Live feeds courtesy of ZNS and www.dabahamianting.com

[islandgyal]

Hurricane Jeanne batters Bahamas
By TAMMI MITCHELL, Associated Press

FREEPORT, Bahamas (AP) - Hurricane Jeanne strengthened to a dangerous Category 3 storm as it battered the Bahamas with violent winds and torrential rains Saturday, making a direct hit on Abaco island and lashing the country's second-largest city, Freeport. Thousands of people took refuge in emergency shelters and boarded-up homes.

Jeanne's eye made a direct hit on the northwestern island of Abaco and its sustained winds quickened to 115 mph, making it the sixth major hurricane of the season. Forecasters said further strengthening was possible before Jeanne hits southeast Florida.

Some neighborhoods were flooded under 5 feet of water on Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, said Matt Maura, spokesman for the Bahamas emergency agency. The winds ripped up roofs and toppled trees, knocking out electric and telephone services in some areas.

There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries, though Freeport police said they used a tractor to rescue two power company officials whose truck was swamped by floodwaters.

About 600 people were riding out the storm in emergency shelters set up in schools and churches in Freeport, officials said. About 700 others took refuge at a school in Marsh Harbor, a town on Abaco island.

"The wind is howling," said Richard Fawkes, a 52-year-old Bahamian. "It's really coming with intensity now."

He said the metal shutters on the windows were rattling in the fierce gusts and that water was seeping inside.

Jeanne's sustained winds increased to 105 mph early Saturday before it hit Abaco, which has a population of 20,000. Forecasters said the hurricane will next tear into Grand Bahama, where more than 70,000 live, many of them in Freeport.

A Category 3 storm has winds of 111 mph-130 mph and is accompanied by a storm surge of 9-12 feet. It can cause extensive damage.

Bahamian officials urged people to evacuate low-lying homes, and shelters were set up in schools and churches on the northwestern islands of Eleuthera, Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Fawkes said he boarded up his beachfront home, which made it through Hurricane Frances largely unscathed three weeks ago, with only some shingles blown off. But this time he worried about rising waters; forecasts said Jeanne could send the sea surging up to eight feet above normal tide levels.

"We can't do anything if the water rises," Fawkes said. "I think people have a lot of battle fatigue from Frances."

Jeanne hit the Bahamas three weeks after the low-lying island chain took a beating from Frances, which killed two people and damaged thousands of homes. Frances toppled rows of power lines, flattened homes and uprooted trees during a two-day lashing of Grand Bahama island.

Many homes still have roofs patched with plastic sheeting, and some homeless residents are still living with relatives or neighbors.

Jeanne struck the Bahamas after devastating Haiti last weekend while it was a tropical storm. Subsequent floods have killed at least 1,500 people in Haiti, parts of which are particularly vulnerable because of deforestation.

At 1 p.m. EDT, Jeanne was over the northwest Bahamas, about 35 miles northeast of Freeport and about 135 miles east of Florida's southeast coast. It was moving west near 14 mph. Hurricane-force winds extended 70 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds to 205 miles.

People waited in long lines at gas stations in Freeport, crowded into stores to stock up on food and water, and rushed to secure plywood over their windows.

Gusty winds and crashing waves buffeted the Bahamian capital of Nassau.

A hurricane warning covered the northwest Bahamas and most of Florida's east coast, and a tropical storm warning the central Bahamian islands and parts of the northeast Florida and Georgia coasts.

Several cruise ships were diverted, and Grand Bahama's airport was closed Friday night.

"We're shutting down everything," said Christina Williams, an employee at the Great Abaco Beach Hotel. "All the guests left yesterday."

She said the only remaining guests were insurance adjusters who planned to ride out the storm.

The repeated hurricanes are disrupting tourism, which the government says accounts for more than half the jobs in this country of 300,000 people. Some hotels damaged by Francis remain closed.

[Bahamas Writer]

I just came in from a walk on the Cable Beach strip and you wouldn't even know we'd just escaped a hurricane! We were amazed too this morning when copies of the Tribune newspaper were delivered to our neighbours!

On the whole, we were VERY lucky in Nassau/New Providence. However, I'm aware there is flooding in certain parts of the island and also some seafront damage. I'm afraid we'll learn more about Hurricane Jeanne's destruction as time goes on.

In the meantime, my prayers are with those in Freeport and other areas who had to be rescued from their homes, which ZNS did a marvellous job of reporting on and assisting by way of alerting the authorities and volunteers to the plight of these residents.

[Rory]

I couldnt find any food stores open though, and only a couple gas stations, and ofcourse kfc, wendies was closed, not sure about macdonalds.

[Rory]

Some more links::

Abaco:

http://www.hopetownfirerescue.com/

http://coconuttelegraph.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2

Freeport:

http://f27.parsimony.net/forum67650/index.htm

[CG]

For most of us in Nassau, Jeanne was a great nonevent. Not so for those in Abaco and Grand Bahama. I watched ZNS' coverage and heard the desperate cries for help from some folks up there on those two island.

As I write this, the sun is just coming up. I know we will hear bad new from up north, but let us hope not as bad as it could have been and if it is, we all must be ready to help in whatever way we can. :bahamas:

[Rory]

whats pathetic is ZNS has resulted back to playing church services today, instead of reporting on the hurricane aftermath in freeport, its totally rediculous, 2 words, 3rd world!

[CG]

whats pathetic is ZNS has resulted back to playing church services today, instead of reporting on the hurricane aftermath in freeport, its totally rediculous, 2 words, 3rd world!


If Jesus returns on a Sunday, ZNS will be the last TV and radio station to get the story, which they will air at 7.00pm or 7.05pm or 7.10pm or whenever they can get it together to go on air - and of course, few pictures!

[Sugar]

Does anyone know if West End was hit hard by Jeanne? I have friends there.