The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

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Damage caused by Hurricane Joaquin at Mangrove Bush Primary School, Long Island.

TWO more schools on Long Island are set to re-open next week as officials prioritise the restoration of education services.

Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner confirmed on Wednesday that NGM Major High School and Lower Deadman's Cay Primary School were on track to open on Monday.

North Long Island High School opened on Wednesday.

"My team brought together partnerships and alliances with individuals who are already preparing the schools for a speedy reopening," said Mrs Butler-Turner.

"One school opened [Wednesday] in north Long Island with two classrooms still damaged and NGM is re-opening Monday. Lower Deadman's Cay Primary School, from my observations, should be able to open on Monday but this has not been confirmed as yet. We have not gotten to Morrisville Primary School to assess that school but we know some students have been deployed to Exuma and Nassau. Morrisville is in the deepest south Long Island which was devastated by the hurricane."

Mrs Butler-Turner said: "Mangrove Bush Primary School is still being worked on and the supplies to finish are en route. We've got two amazing sponsors to provide materials and workmen. We're making sure we get these kids back into their normal routine and familiar setting. Some of the persons had the means to get out and have gotten out but most of those kids will be back on Long Island in short order.

She added: "We will have these schools up and running, with the help of the Ministry of Education very very soon. It is a priority.

NGM Principal Machon Cartwright told the Tribune on Wednesday that the most damage was sustained in room 4, used for biology, which saw its roof compromised.

"We lost shingles on the Home Economics block, there was a lot of stripping of shingles, then some water damage," he said. "We should be up and running on Monday, we'll start with the ninth graders and the twelfth graders first. It's important to get the entire student body as quickly as possible."

Hurricane Joaquin battered the central and southern Bahamas for two days last week, on October 1 and 2.

As relief efforts work to restore a sense of normalcy to impact communities, residents continue to recount their harrowing experiences during the Category 4 hurricane.

Charlene Taylor told The Tribune on Wednesday that her plans to ride out the storm along with her 93-year-old grand mother and three children were scrapped when a part of her roof flew off. Ms Taylor lives in Dunmore Town, 20 miles south of Deadman's Cay.

"We were planning on staying at our house during the hurricane so that's where we were until part of our roof flew off while we were still inside the house. After the first part of the roof blew off myself and my 23-year-old son had to put her through a back window and take her by car to another residence five miles away."

Ms Taylor said: "We were there for three or four hours then his roof started to leak and the sheet rock was dropping."

Ms Taylor said her younger daughter is now in Nassau with her grandmother to go to school.