With the airport closing at 2 p.m. stragglers hoping to catch the last flight out waited patiently at the Bahamas Air terminal. Pamela Gomez was scheduled on a flight to Miami where she planned to ride out Irene in a comfortable hotel room.
When asked when the final flight would depart, a Bahamas Air employee said, “That’s a good question, probably 2 p.m.”
“I’ve experienced hurricanes before and I don’t want to experience one again,” Gomez said. “We always leave now.”
Tourists unlucky enough to plan a Bahamian getaway that coincided with Hurricane Irene’s visit were just arriving as Gomez waited to leave.
The Brome family from Leominster, Mass. Said there was no hesitation about whether they would come or not, they’d had their tickets since May and weren’t cowing to the storm. The home they rented is right on the beach, but Lisa Brome said she’s not worried.
“I just called the owner and he said ‘Have you ever been in a hurricane before,” Brome said. “I’m sure he’ll tell us what to do.”
The Bromes, who packed some food with them, would find little open outside of a few very busy grocery stores this afternoon. With government offices shutting down at 3 p.m., last minute shoppers lined up at the gas pumps and grocery checkout lines in a hectic race against Irene.
