Reports are coming in about hurricane damage to resorts in
Grand Bahama and the Abacos, and some have been devastated.
Abaco Lodge, an 11-room fishing resort north of Marsh
Harbour, said it was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian.
On its Facebook page, Abaco Lodge said, "While the
lodge has insurance and can be repaired or rebuilt, that is not the case for
our family, friends, and staff on the island. The few people we have spoken to
have lost everything."
Green Turtle Cay, a barrier island off Great Abaco, was heavily damaged by the hurricane, according to reports. On its Facebook page, the Green
Turtle Club Resort posted on Sept. 2 that there was "total devastation"
and that residents of the community were trapped in collapsed homes.
Green Turtle Cay's Bluff House Beach Resort & Marina
also reported "extensive" damage to the area, adding that "large-scale
reconstruction of communities and homes will be an ambitious challenge."
Treasure Cay Resort on Abaco reported that the roof was torn
off, drywall collapsed and infrastructure flooded and ruined.
Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina reported some
damage based on an initial assessment.
"The immediate good news is that there was no loss of
life to our guests and staff that remained at the resort during the hurricane,"
the resort said in a notice on its website.
South Abaco's Sandpiper Inn was largely spared, with the
property reporting "minimal damage" and announcing plans reopen for
the season as scheduled on Oct. 1.
Pelican Bay Hotel at Lucaya in Freeport has damage, but it
is too early to assess how much, according to Magnus Alnebeck, general manager.
He and his wife, Dunya, were holed up in a room for more
than 24 hours while waiting for Dorian to exit the island and the 'all clear'
to be given.
"Now we are trying to make contact with our staff,"
he said in a posting on social media. "We have no reports of serious
injuries or fatalities. We will try to open whatever rooms we can, but we have
only electricity for public areas and no water. Those rooms will be available
for persons involved in the restoration of Grand Bahama Island. We, together
with government authorities, will determine who we can assist."
Staff at the Abaco Club on Winding Bay in Marsh Harbour are
assessing damage and are working with partners and vendors to coordinate the
collection and distribution of supplies. It said damage "appears to be
manageable compared to many other locations in Marsh Harbour."
The Facebook posting went on to say: "Roads are
impassable, and we have not yet determined which docks are still intact."
Old Bahama Bay on the westernmost tip of Grand Bahama Island
is moving "full steam ahead" with its hurricane recovery and relief
efforts, coordinating efforts with the government.
Old Bahama Bay president John MacDonald posted: "As
with Hurricane Matthew in 2016, OBB will again be the 'command center' for all
donated supplies, working in close cooperation with the government, local
authorities and the National Emergency Management Agency. This has been
a long week of hurry-up-and-wait, and we are all anxious to get something done."
MacDonald's post concluded: "We will advise as soon as
it is safe to enter the resort property and we have our security team in place.
We hope to raise $1 million, as we did after Matthew, since we must now aid not
just the West End but all of Grand Bahama and Abaco."
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This report was updated on Thursday to add information about the status of additional Bahamas resorts.