From a distance, the approach into the anchorage at Crooked Island in the Southeastern Bahamas is a wide open expanse along a gently curving white sand shore. About two dozen houses stand scattered here and there along this coast. When close enough to anchor, though, you get a clearer picture of the condition of the buildings and realize that many are missing roofs, a wall or two, and some windows. These were, no doubt, picturesque structures designed with island paradise dreams in mind, but last fall Hurricane Joachim changed all that and more.
Up close, it is evident that most of the sand at the shoreline here was blown up onto the land, over and through the residences and beyond to cover the road from town that leads to the small airstrip at the northwestern point of the island. We were awestruck by much of what we viewed, yet we didn’t fully comprehend the magnitude of the hurricane’s power until we interacted with the local people who lived through Joachim’s assault.
One of the grocers in Landrail Point Settlement recalled his experience during Joachim. The worst of the hurricane came during the night and brought chest deep water into the village and his store. He said that the water came from the south out of the shallows of the Bight of Acklins. When his home flooded, his family tethered their boat to a strong beam of the house and sixteen people- a mix of children and adults- climbed into the small vessel to weather the storm as best they could. Thankfully, no lives were lost on Crooked Island during the hurricane.
Two seasonal residents described the damage incurred along the beach. One man from Florida said his garage, that faces the sea, was filled with sand after Joachim blew off the doors. Another man from New Orleans said that sand and sea water destroyed most of his furnishings, so they had to replace everything. Other houses along the shore wound up with huge pieces of limestone inside necessitating removal with heavy duty equipment. Surprisingly, a few residents have not yet come down to assess the damage to their property.
On another afternoon, we stopped to have lunch at GIBSON’S RESTAURANT #2. There, we were pleasantly surprised and privileged to meet the founder of GIBSON’S RESTAURANT # 1, that was a fine business for fifty years. Now very elderly and wheelchair bound, Mrs. Gibson related her recollection of the night Hurricane Joachim made landfall in the settlement. At that time, living alone and in bed, she was suddenly awakened by the fierceness of the storm. Then she saw the water begin to flood into the room. Being that she had limited use of her legs, the only thing Mrs. Gibson could do was pull herself up to be higher on the bed and begin to pray. Hours later when the force of the hurricane subsided, her son found her still in bed, praying, and soaked with sea water. Parts of her home had crumbled down around her and a portion of the roof had blown off. In order to get Mrs. Gibson out safely, they used a crane to lift her out though the roof. She now lives with her son and we were fortunate to chat with her on a day he brought her to her daughter’s restaurant.
Certainly, our stay at Crooked Island was not all doom and gloom. Actually it was quite the opposite. We found the people to be kind and giving despite their struggles and they exuded a rare resilient attitude that was most admirable. Near the jetty, we noticed scads of these lovely flowers thriving in the rocks that Joachim piled on the coast. Mrs. Gibson of Restaurant #2 told us that they are weeds, but they seemed symbolic to me of Crooked Island- the warm, beautiful people have a thorny path ahead as they recover.
PS: If you have a youngster from sv Honu Kai approach your boat to sell you a homemade HOT pizza, BUY 2! They are GREAT!
1 comment:
Aslan says, "cool, pizza! Does he deliver in St. Croix? "
Lyla says, " but how good was the pizza?"
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