Local News

PM denounces criticism by FNM leader as ‘idiotic’

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday said he was “disappointed” that Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis would use Hurricane Matthew as tool to “divide the country politically” instead of acknowledging that the government is “doing a good job” in the aftermath.

BPL: We will have 75% restored by weekend

AS thousands of Bahamians continue to grapple with conditions left behind by Hurricane Matthew made harder in the absence of electricity, Bahamas Power and Light Ltd said the company aims to have 75 per cent of customer services restored by the end of the week and outlined its plan to reconnect the remaining 25 per cent.

180-day exigency order declared by government

THE exigency order declared in the wake of Hurricane Matthew will last for 180 days, effective from October 7, according to the order obtained by The Tribune.

Residents hope hard-hit communities will rebound

DESPITE the widespread damage Hurricane Matthew left in West End and Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, residents in these communities yesterday expressed hope that they will rebound.

Izmirlian: I’ll pay more to buy back Baha Mar

SARKIS Izmirlian, CEO of BMD Holdings Ltd, the original developer of Baha Mar, has made an offer to purchase the stalled $3.5 billion dollar resort, “at a price in excess” of the current undisclosed offer.

BPL trucks out of action

NEARLY a dozen Bahamas Power and Light Company (BPL) bucket trucks are not operational and several diggers have “broken down” since BPL crews began hurricane recovery efforts in New Providence, according to Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Paul Maynard.

‘I believe the water rise so fast and so high it was a tsunami’

The devastation in North Andros from Hurricane Matthew is almost unimaginable, Ricardo Wells finds . . .

HURRICANE BRIEFS

• THE second annual Run for Pompey originally set for Georgetown, Exuma, on October 8 has been re-scheduled for October 29.

35 Andros homes destroyed

OFFICIALS have confirmed that 35 homes were completely destroyed in North Andros by Hurricane Matthew, with 40 residences sustaining major damage, and 100 more receiving minor damage.

Baha Mar payments made to around 1,900 former employees

THE Baha Mar Claims Committee, headed by former State Minister for Finance James Smith, has made payments to 1,900 or so former employees and is still considering how to address the claims of other Bahamians who were associated with the resort but were not included on its official list of employees.

Still no answer on cost of new power plant

SEVERAL months have passed since PowerSecure signed a five-year agreement with the government to manage Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd (BPL) and its executive team still has no definitive answer on the cost of a new power generation plant to replace the “obsolete” one at Clifton Pier or when key elements of its costly business plan are to be revealed.

NEMA starts to hand out tarpaulins to those in need

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has embarked on a door-to-door exercise distributing tarpaulin to residents in New Providence whose homes suffered roof damage during the passage of the powerful Hurricane Matthew.

Hurricane Matthew overshadowed by monster storms of the past

WHILE Matthew is being called the worst storm many Bahamians have ever experienced, one meteorologist fascinated by hurricane history says it does not match up to some of the destructive storms of the past.

DNA leader slams govt response in wake of Hurricane Matthew

DEMOCRATIC National Alliance (DNA) Leader Branville McCartney yesterday slammed the Christie administration for learning nothing from Hurricane Joaquin, claiming the government’s response to Hurricane Matthew and its subsequent restoration efforts have “left much to be desired.”

Red cross says donations are urgently needed to bring relief

BAHAMAS Red Cross Society officials yesterday called for the donation of more “urgently needed” items to better assist the organisation in providing relief to persons suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

The Tribune