The effects of the Hurricane Joaquin are being compared to that of 1992's Hurricane Andrew.
Loretta Butler-Turner MP said that relief crews flying over Long Island had seen groups of people who had banded together for survival waving to signal they needed rescue.
Mrs Butler-Turner said: "The saddest part of all of this is that probably for the first time in many many years we have speculation that there are multiple deaths from this hurricane."
The call has gone out for people to donate to the cause, which Mrs Butler-Turner described as a "long-term project". She said there was heavy flooding in Long Island particularly.
Electrical services and communications remained down, and Father Keith Cartwright, sitting alongside Mrs Butler-Turner at a press briefing this afternoon, said that prayers are needed.
However, Ellison Greenslade, the Commissioner of Police, said on Twitter on Saturday evening that he had no reports of confirmed deaths. "This is the Commissioner of Police and as of this time I have no information of any deaths directly related to Joaquin," he tweeted from @COPGreenslade. The Commissioner was on board a police flight over the affected islands en route to Stella Maris airport, Long Island.
Comments
John 8 years, 6 months ago
some say there ere at least 9 but only one confirmed thus far.
thomas 8 years, 6 months ago
Meanwhile the pm brings remarks at a funeral in Nassau today.
sansoucireader 8 years, 6 months ago
SMT!
sansoucireader 8 years, 6 months ago
The FMN were just elected when Hurricane Andrew struck the Bahamas in '92. What a difference in response between the FNM and PLP governments! Then PM Hubert Ingraham took charge charge from Day One and was working with a plan; PM Christie...
digimagination 8 years, 6 months ago
"Electrical services and communications remained down, and Father Keith Cartwright, sitting alongside Mrs Butler-Turner at a press briefing this afternoon, said that prayers are needed."
I would have thought that fast positive action is needed way ahead of prayers...
Baha10 8 years, 6 months ago
If the "deaths" Mrs. B-T claimed to know of, but refused to reveal pending next of kin notification, prove to in fact be false, it will be she that has dug her proverbial grave, not the "supposed and illusive" dead!
John 8 years, 6 months ago
It is not unusual for rumors to fly in crisis situations. One lady had everyone in a footsore grieving as she told how her uncle and five children died in a house in South Long island. There were other talks about 9 people being found dead in one house and other people found dead in ceilings of houses. So far NONE has proven to be true. That is the good part. The biggest loss of life may be the crew of the freighter (33) who have not yet been accounted for.
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