Hurricane Irene wrecks Bahamas homes

A large and powerful Hurricane Irene roared across the Bahamas archipelago, knocking down trees and destroying homes on a path that officials said posed the greatest threat to the country’s smaller, less-populated islands.

There were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths but property damage appeared likely to be extensive.

Acklins and Crooked islands, in the southern part of the chain, got hit particularly hard, with an estimated 90% of the homes in two settlements severely damaged or destroyed, said Captain Stephen Russell, director of the country’s National Emergency Management Agency.

Capt Russell said he was getting “disturbing reports” from the two islands, each of which has a population of several hundred, but that he was yet able to get a full assessment.

Authorities were also expecting major damage on the islands of Rum Cay, Eleuthera and Cat Island, which were all expected to have full and extended exposure to Hurricane Irene’s 120mph winds.

“That can be devastating for some of those islands,” Capt Russell said.

Forecasters said Nassau, on New Providence, would see tropical storm force winds no greater than 65mph because the storm track had shifted and it was not getting the direct hit that many had feared.

The island is the most populated, with more than 200,000 people, and is a major tourist destination.

This storm was only the third since 1866 that had crossed the entire length of the island chain and prime minister Hubert Ingraham said the country was bracing for extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure. But he predicted few casualties overall.

“As a general statement we do a fair job of managing hurricanes so personal injuries, we hope, will not be substantial,” he said.

“Property damage, vegetation, public infrastructure, yes, but as a general statement we would hope that personal injuries would be minimised.”

Still, the storm could cause problems. Trevor M. Basden, senior deputy director of the country’s Department of Meteorology, said New Providence could expect to be buffeted with fierce winds until this evening.

“That is quite of bit of time to be experiencing tropical storm force winds,” he said.

Authorities set up emergency shelters throughout the country but most locals were expected to stay in their own homes or with friends and family while visitors stayed in the handful of hotels that remained open for what was expected to be a rough next few days.

As darkness fell in the capital, and the first strong winds and rain began to lash the city, the streets were largely deserted.

Earlier, the capital buzzed with last-minute preparations as people gathered what last-minute supplies were still available and shop owners boarded up their windows.

Nassau, which is surrounded by sparkling greenish-blue ocean, is known to flood even in heavy rain so the storm surge was expected to make many roads impassable, especially in the colonial town centre.

Many visitors weren’t waiting around to find out what would happen and fled the country, waiting in long lines to catch planes before the airport closed.

Some tourists had no choice but to leave since smaller hotels abruptly closed and larger ones were booked up with Bahamian residents looking for a place to ride out the storm.

Others flying out simply did not want to take their chances with what could be a major storm.