Some residents in the nation’s second city are calling on authorities to say why many of the buildings meant to be a safe haven for them were not properly secured ahead of the passage of Isaias – the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season’s 9th named storm.
Photos coming in to The Gallery show several schools listed as hurricane shelters just hours before storm conditions were felt on the island, as well as the C.A. Smith and Harold DeGregory Complexes, which house a number of government offices. No efforts to secure windows and doors can be seen.
Sources suggest that Ministry of Works officials were unprepared and unequipped for the task of securing any government building on the island as there were no supplies allotted them to do so.
Residents, weary from the horrific memory of last September’s hurricane Dorian, are left dismayed that their safety and security were seemingly not a priority, even as many areas of Grand Bahama are left flooded in Isaias’ wake and poor weather conditions continue to affect that northern island.