With the northern Bahamas bearing the brunt of Hurricane
Dorian over the weekend,
resorts across Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands have shuttered and are
scrambling to provide updates amid widespread power and phone service
outages.
A spokesperson for the Grand Lucayan, the largest resort on
Grand Bahama Island, confirmed that the property has closed, but added that any
further updates are currently unavailable.
The Taino Beach Resort & Clubs in Freeport has similarly
shut down operations, announcing its closure via social media on Aug 29. A
representative with Taino Beach Resort & Club's preferred travel agency,
Time Travel in Fort Lauderdale, said that no communications have been received
from the property, or from sister Freeport resort Flamingo Bay Hotel &
Marina, since the storm hit.
Elsewhere on Grand Bahama, the all-inclusive Viva Wyndham
Fortuna Beach has also closed, with a spokesperson stating that it "doesn't
yet know the grade of damage."
Over on the Abaco Islands, the Abaco Beach Resort and Boat
Harbour Marina said in a social media statement that "there was no loss of
life" among guests and staff who stayed at the property during the
hurricane.
"Communication in and out [of] the island has been
limited, and we will endeavor to keep you informed as we receive updated
information," added the Abaco Beach Resort. "Over the past 48 hours,
the resort team has begun assessing damages to the resort and based on our
initial assessments, there was some damage."
Other Abaco resorts, like Green Turtle Club Resort &
Marina, Bluff House Beach Resort, Firefly Sunset Resort and Treasure Cay Beach
Marina & Golf Resort, have closed until further notice and remain largely
off the grid, with a recent update from Green Turtle Club's Facebook page
reporting that the surrounding Green Turtle Cay area is "impassable"
and experienced "total devastation."
Meanwhile, other areas throughout the Bahamas, including destinations
like Nassau and the Exumas, were largely spared.
Sandals Resorts International confirmed that its Sandals
Emerald Bay and Sandals Fowl Cay properties in the Exumas and Sandals Royal
Bahamian resort in Nassau were not impacted by Dorian, and that the company's
Sandals Foundation is standing at the ready to provide emergency support to
affected areas.
Likewise, Nassau's Baha Mar said in a statement that the
island of New Providence "sustained minimal damage" and that the Baha
Mar resorts remain "open and fully operational." The property's Baha
Mar Foundation is contributing to hurricane relief efforts, working to provide
food, shelter and medicine to those being impacted throughout Grand Bahama and the
Abacos.
Audrey Oswell, president and managing director of Atlantis
Paradise Island, also confirmed Monday that the Atlantis complex near Nassau
was "not severely impacted by the storm."
Oswell added that Atlantis Paradise Island is working with "the
Bahamas Red Cross and chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen to provide much
needed relief including food and supplies to the residents of Abaco, Grand
Bahama and others" who are currently are facing "life-threatening
conditions."