Those living in the Bahamas, many with the painful memories of last year's Hurricane Dorian still fresh, were told their safety should be the top priority as Hurricane Isaias brought wind and heavy rain to the islands Friday night.
“Preparation should have been in place now, and continue to hunker down," Trevor Basden, director of the Bahamas meteorology department, said in an evening press conference.
Social Services Director Lillian Quant-Forbes said people in low-lying areas should find friends or family to stay with or, if that's not possible, go to a shelter.
"The greatest thing that we need at this point in time is for everbody to be safe," Quant-Forbes said.
Residents of Inagua, the southernmost district in the Bahamas, began seeing rain and wind from the storm Friday morning as the rest of the island chain wrapped up preparations.
For many Bahamians, Isaias adds to the misery that has lingered since Hurricane Dorian ravaged the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in September, killing at least 74 people and leaving thousands homeless.
(MORE: Hurricane Isaias To Track Through Bahamas Into Saturday)
Beckylee Albury's family lives in a tent on Great Guana Cay in the Abaco Islands.
"Emotionally, I’ve been drained since Dorian," Albury told the Nassau Guardian. "So this is just making it even worse. After Dorian, I couldn’t sleep for weeks. And now with this storm, I’m just numb basically.
"There’s nothing I could do. There’s nothing. I have no plan because there’s nothing I can see to do. We’re going to probably be in the tent for the storm."
There are no shelters on Great Guana Cay. Albury said memories of the ordeal her family endured on Great Abaco Island during Dorian – including her 4-year-old son almost drowning – will likely prevent her from returning to the bigger island to go into a government shelter there.
The Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency opened all shelters at 10 a.m. Friday.
Bahamas Power and Light announced it would be shutting off electricity to areas at high risk of flooding on New Providence, the most populous island in the Bahamas, the Nassau Guardian reported. Controlled shutdowns were executed on Mayaguana at 12:15 a.m. and Inagua at 5 a.m. Friday, the newspaper reported.
“Once power is cut, it will remain off until it is safe to reenergize,” BPL said.
Video on social media showed long lines of people waiting to stock up on supplies.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced the lockdown in place because of the coronavirus pandemic would be relaxed to allow for storm preparations.
Hardware stores were allowed to open Friday. Food stores, water depots, pharmacies and gas stations will be permitted to open Saturday until 8 p.m. if weather permits, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
All government offices were set to close at noon Friday.
"These are especially difficult days. Let us join hands and hearts to face this time with resilience, determination and fortitude," Minnis said in a statement.
Other than a few downed utility poles, Inagua had sustained no major damage, Eyewitness News Bahamas reported.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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