Authorities in Grand Bahama say the cleanup effort in parts of the island devastated by Hurricane Wilma two weeks ago is progressing well, but they indicated that it could be another five weeks before much of the debris is cleared away.
However, authorities recognize that it could take years before the communities wiped out by Wilma are restored.
For now, they say they continue to focus efforts on providing immediate relief for affected residents, while cleaning up their surroundings.
“The cleanup is going very well; better than we expected,” Sheva Rigby, an Eight Mile Rock resident, told the Bahama Journal.
“The roads that were covered in debris, and with big boulders have now been cleared away.”
Charles King, administrator for the Western District, said that six contractors have been assigned for the cleanup: four in Eight Mile Rock, two in Pinder’s Point and one in West End.
Authorities also said they are hiring residents in those communities to assist in the effort.
Mr. King said given that many residents are facing hard economic times, he is pleased that some of them can benefit financially from the cleanup effort. He indicated that three dozen of them had already been hired by local government.
“I am very pleased at the way things are looking now,” he recently said. “If you go through Pinder’s Point and the others, you would see a difference from what it looked like the week before.
“We started in Pinder’s Point last week, and we’re presently in Eight Mile Rock, and Hepburn Town up to Holmes Rock.”
Officials had planned to begin major cleanup in West End over the weekend.
Mr. King said the rubble created by rocks, silt and sand from the bed of the ocean serve a useful purpose. He said that the mixture is being returned to the seabed to create a buffer from high tide.
The seabed suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Wilma, according to authorities.
Rubble that can’t be recycled is being dumped in strategic locations, Mr. King said.
In the Pinder’s Point area, debris was placed deliberately in a location inland out of view.
In Eight Mile Rock debris is being deposited at the dump in the settlement of Sea Grape.
“When we would have gotten sufficient debris in those areas, we would transfer the debris to the dump in Freeport,” Mr. King said.
Authorities also revealed that the cleanup effort in Eight Mile Rock caused damage to the water lines.
Dillon Knowles, director of building and development services at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, said the damage created a “setback” in resolving water supply issues in the area.
“We need the cleanup crews to be cognizant of the water distribution system in Eight Mile Rock as they’re cleaning up so as not to create an additional effort on our part to get customers back online,” Mr. Knowles said.
Mr. King indicated that the cleanup challenge is a significant one.
“Particularly on the seacoast in Eight Mile Rock, there is such an accumulation of rubble on both sides of the road it is difficult to determine where the lines should be,” he said.
The administrator pointed to the importance of completing the work as quickly as possible.
“When [the residents] see all the rubble around them it is a constant reminder of what they went through,” Mr. King said.
By: Daphne McIntosh, The Bahama Journal
