Hurricane Matthew smashed through The Bahamas on October 6th 2016, tearing up parts of Nassau and devastating Grand Bahama and Andros. Indeed Matthew is the worst hurricane to hit New Providence since the devastating hurricane of 1929.
Category 3 winds of 125 mph and a tidal surge lashed Nassau for up to 9 hours, and in the wake of the hurricane we were left with massive trees and power lines strewn across our streets and gardens and some neighborhoods flooded in what at first glimpse would look completely devastating. The western side of the island was harder hit than the east with the powerful eyewall winds pummeling Lyford Cay.
Surprisingly though, a few days later, the island is remarkably clear. Power has been restored to more than 50% of inhabitants and the roads are open and flowing. I have spoken to many homeowners and all have the same story – that they came through the storm fine sustaining little or no damage to their homes. There was some flooding in older subdivisions where the engineering standards were not up to par, but I am happy to report that pretty much all of the developments built in the last 25 years had minimal flooding due to proper engineering.
In Grand Bahama Matthew grew to a category 4 storm with 140 mph winds which destroyed some buildings and downed a number of power lines, leaving much of the island without electricity. The Grand Bahama office is the only HG Christie office that is not fully operational post-hurricane. All other offices are functioning normally.
In Abaco and Eleuthera the hurricane was more of a non-event with some glancing tropical storm force winds but nothing of significance.
As we move into the fall and winter months we will find renewed communities with upgraded buildings, fences, docks and trimmed foliage allowing for more expansive ocean views than we had in the summer. Our buildings and communities have proven how resilient we are and what a great place The Bahamas is to live in.
Please feel free to contact me, John Christie, if you have thoughts or comments.
John@hgchristie.com | 242.357.7572