For those interested, a quick update, for those not, I tender an apology for posting on the shipwreck thread but it reaches all the people I know on TN.......
Hello again friends and family
Here is an update on the situation on Long IsIand, almost a month after we were struck by hurricane Joachin, which caused so much devastation.
We are still without electricity, phones and internet. We can send emails and make calls from Clarence Town but cannot receive calls. The Bahamas Electricity Corporation are doing the best they can but with over 50 miles of broken poles and wires, it will be some time before we will be reconnected, added to that we are at the end of the line so will be one of the last to get service.
Thankfully we have a small generator at home. We run it for a couple of hours in the morning and again in the evening to keep the freezer and fridge cool. We have water pressure when it is on but no hot water as the heater would be too much of a draw.
At our house we lost 2 8x4 plywood panels from the roof, one above the living room and the other above the bedroom. We also lost a lot of shingles and tar paper from the roof. We got a lot of water damage throughout the house – rain dripped down the walls, through light and fan fixtures and into cupboards and drawers. Some of you may know that we were in the middle of a kitchen renovation – a couple of the new cabinets got water damaged and swelled. All that said, it’s worth noting that none of the shingles or panels that Kevin installed for the car port and bedroom extensions came off....ha ha. Of course in the garden many trees and plants were uprooted and have been lost. We are though seeing new growth coming through on the plants that survived, and we did stand up some trees.
At least we have a house. Lots of people have nothing left. We know that some funds have been raised to send to us and we will ensure that those in real need benefit from your generosity and kindness. Kevin is going to Nassau today and returning on the mail boat with a 26 foot box truck loaded with building supplies and equipment needed to carry out repairs. These next few months will consist entirely of repairing our elderly neighbours’ homes as well as our own.
Though no lives were lost on the island, 33 people on a large freighter lost their lives when the ship sank off the southern coast of the island. The cargo is now washing up on several beaches here and serves as a stark reminder of how fierce this hurricane was.
Fishing is the main industry on Long Island. Many fishing vessels were carried from the ocean and now sit on the sides of the roads – and some boats are still missing. The roads are also littered with furniture, clothes, fridges, freezers and rotting food. A lot of houses had below ground water cisterns and septic tanks – these were penetrated by the flood water so are now ruined . We are so thankful that our water tanks are above ground.
Finally, some of you may not know that our dog Tassle has died. She reached the grand old age of 15yrs and 10 months. She gave us much happiness and her passing has caused great sadness. We have a lot to get over and though life is tough right now – so are we and we will keep going until we are back on an even keel. Thank you everyone for your friendships, love, encouragement and prayers.
Audrey Kevin and Gizmo xxx
