Structural Damage in Eleuthera, Following Hurricane Irene

Irene overturned freight trailers on Cupid's Cay.

(Eleuthera, Bahamas) - Difficulties in communication have hampered Eleuthera’s ability to relay the true image of the damage islanders suffered in the wake of Hurricane Irene.  Certainly, Eleuthera was not devastated by Irene, however, it will be costly for many families here, especially in central Eleuthera.

Many homes suffered minor to medium level damage on their roofs resulting in loss of  ceilings and property while others had large pieces of their roofs torn off by the winds.

The Cat 3 storm barreled across the island on Wednesday (24th) night and Thursday (25th) during the day, with powerful winds reaching  approximately 115mph sustained. Analysis of the track of the storm shows that North Eleuthera would have been on the weaker western side of the hurricane while  central and parts of south Eleuthera may have encountered the more dangerous northern quadrant.

Flooding of the Bayfront in Governor's Harbour went at high as residential communities and businesses, including Eleuthera Supply which also had its' top canopy mangled by the strong winds.

After touring the island from Deep Creek in the south to Gene’s Bay and Three Island Dock in the north, it is fair to say that the most significant damage occurred in Central Eleuthera from Palmetto Point to James’ Cistern where poles littered the streets. Significant damage could also, however, be found in other settlements, including Rock Sound where a number of residences on the north side lost pieces of their roofs.

Damaged home of Rodwell and Audrey Knowles in Palmetto Point.

In Palmetto Point some homes also had their roofs very badly damaged and many others suffered loss of shingles and felt.  As Audrey Knowles of  Palmetto Point stood just outside of her front door, with a wet mattress sunning next to her, on Friday, August 26 – one day after Hurricane Irene ravished her  home, she shared her family’s frightening hurricane experience with The Eleutheran.  She described in vivid detail, the terrifying sound of her roof under stress,  threatening to pull away from its’ belt at moments to 5am on Thursday morning.  This is around the same time many Central Eleuthera residents describe the  worst winds of the entire night, surrounding their homes. Her husband Rodwell, marshalled their family together, which included a young grandbaby, as water rushed into their bedroom, through a compromised portion of roof.  Knowing that it was no longer safe to stay in the home, the family tried to make its way to  nearby neighbours on foot without success.  Audrey expressed, “The wind was so severe we couldn’t even get across there, so we had to get in the car and go by my mother at 5am in the morning - all of us and the baby!”


A waterfront home in James' Cistern lost portions of its' roof.

The eye of the Hurricane appeared to pass close to Palmetto Point, Governor's Harbour and James' Cistern at around 6am when a calm came across the area. What may have been Hurricane Hunter aircraft could be heard, over Governor's at around the same time as the brief calm. What preceded the eye was an hour of the most intense winds of the night, that according to several people, had many in fear of losing their roofs. What followed the calm was an onslaught of onshore sustained winds that ripped many shingles from the south-western side of homes on that coast in the center of the island.

The Governor's Harbour Police Station under water during the flooding in Governor's Harbour.

In Governor’s Harbour the Bayfront flooded near midday on Thursday, sweeping into basements, causing major erosion in some areas and depositing  mountains of sea debris in others. In the true spirit of 'do it yourself' that fuels Eleuthera, crews were out to clean-up as soon as the skies cleared and the water receded with the tide. 

In the vicinity of the Administration building, poles and wires littered the street. Visible shingle damage was obvious on the Administrator’s residence of Cupid’s  Cay. There on the vulnerable Cay, huge trailers and campers were overturned, the Customs warehouse lost chucks of its roof and homes suffered both flooding and roof damage.   

For settlements such as Bogue, Gregory Town, Hatchet Bay, and Tarpum Bay, the damage appeared less severe than others, but many homes too suffered varying levels of roof damage.
 
As residents explained, the roof damage might appear minor on the outside but it resulted in water getting in and destroying areas of ceiling as well as home  contents. No settlement visited were without homes with missing shingles and in some areas the damage was much worse than others.

Cigatoo Quality Inn lost a sizeable portion of its' roof.


Sunset Inn Restaurant has major damage to its' roof following the passage of Irene.

Businesses like Cigatoo Quality Inn, Sunset Inn and the Globe Princess movie theatre in Governor's Harbour had significant roof damage, with portions ripped  away, while others like Burrows and Highway Service Station fared better. The metal canopy over the gas station at Eleuthera Supply was mangled by the  storm, however, the grocery and gas station were open for business as of Friday, becoming an important source of supplies, fuel and ice.  Pineapple Fields  Resort according to its manager, was not damaged in the storm. The Restaurant Tippy's was open for dinner on Sunday at 6pm and expects to return to normal hours on Tuesday. Like other buildings in the area, it did not suffer much visible damage.

The Emma Cooper (Palmetto Point) Primary School, James Cistern Library and Primary School, Gregory Town Primary School and the closed St. Anns School in Rock Sound lost  parts of their roofs in the storm.  Governor’s Harbour Primary School served as a Hurricane Shelter for 18 persons who spent much of their time drying up the water coming through the  damaged roof.    Water also leaked into the James' Cistern hurricane shelter, which housed about 40 persons during the storm.

Major roof damage at Emma Cooper Primary in Palmetto Point.


Gregory Town Primary also had part of its' roof torn apart.

In Rainbow Bay, a resident described incredibly high waves crashing against her brother's cliffside home.  While his structure held fast, a compromised meter box allowed water to pour into the home through conduits, resulting in water having to be bailed out throughout the storm. Undoubtedly the damage overall could have been worse and residents have expressed relief in their homes withstanding the winds without wall failures,  however, some have complained that they believe the extent of the damage individual home owners have suffered, is being downplayed.

Many of the resident homes, vacation homes and businesses seen across The Eleutheras appeared to have weathered the storm  well.  Overall on Spanish Wells, Harbour Island and the mainland many businesses did not suffer damage that would impede them hosting customers except that for many on the mainland, electricity, water, and telecommunication may still be an issue.

With the exception of James' Cistern, all main roads we travelled on Saturday were clear of debris and on Sunday we noticed the turbid waters were clearing  up, back to their beautiful blue. BEC continues to work very hard at restoring electricity and many customers in Governor's Harbour and Palmetto Point saw  their lights come back on Sunday.  BTC personnel has also been seen throughout the settlements, even through the weekend working on restoring service to  customers as well. There is still much to be done, especially north of Governor's Harbour.

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