SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, November 9, Prime Minister Phillip Davis has reminded the international community of the “new reality” facing the Bahamas as his country prepares for the passage of a strengthening tropical storm Nicole that is expected to be upgraded to a hurricane later on Wednesday.
“You must remember this is our new reality, and we have to come to accustom to events such as these (and) that’s why we are here making the point that we can’t do it alone,” he said on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) here.
“What our new reality is not as a result of what we would have done, but what the industrialized world would have done, and therefore they have to come to the rescue of small and developing states such as ours,” Davis said, noting that all the leaders from the small islands developing states “are now joining the voices that something has to be done and done now.”
Davis said he is concerned about this “existential threat, which is no longer a threat but a reality and the intensity of hurricanes,” reminding his audience that as he spoke, the Bahamas was facing a threat from Nicole with maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour (mph).
“I have been seeing the images, and my heart continues to go out for our people at times such as these, and that is why our voices have to be heard at events such as these,” he said, adding that the “world needs to get real about ensuring that loss and damage have to be compensated for.
“We do not have a significant carbon footprint in the world. Yes, we do have but yet still, after this hurricane has passed, who is going to pay for the recovery, reconstruction, and for normalizing the lives of my people”.
In a message directed to the people of the Bahamas, especially those in Abaco and other islands in the archipelago in the path of Nicole, Prime Minister Davis said, “take heart and remember the Lord is not going to put on us more than we can bear.
“I understand the trauma you are going through now, the recall you would be having after (hurricane) Dorian (that hit The Bahamas on September 1, 2019, as a Category 5 hurricane, causing flooding and mass destruction on the northwest islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama) and this visiting of Nicole, please stay safe”.
Dorian pummeled Grand Bahama Islands for 48 long hours before finally moving away from the islands. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dorian caused about US$3.4 billion in damages, which is equal to one-quarter of The Bahamas’ gross domestic product (GDP).
The death toll from the hurricane stood at 74 people, with 63 from Abaco and 22 from Grand Bahama, although 245 people are still missing.
Davis urged people to adhere to the warnings of the relevant authorities ‘to ensure that lives are not lost, and damage is minimal.
Meanwhile, the Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd. (BPL) is advising customers that it is aware of and closely monitoring outages in several areas due to severe weather conditions impacting its infrastructure (including Broken Poles and Downed lines).
“As the safety of our customers, employees, and equipment is of paramount concern, these areas will be attended to as soon as the respective safety risks in each area are no longer present,” the BPL said in a statement,
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the center of Nicole is approaching Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas, and it is also about 210 miles east of west Palm Beach in Florida.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Abacos, Berry Islands, and Grand Bahama Island in the
Northwestern Bahamas, while a tropical storm warning remains in effect for Bimini in the northwestern Bahamas, Hallandale Beach, Florida, to Boca Raton, Florida.
“Nicole is moving toward the west near 12 mph. A turn towards the west-northwest is expected tonight, followed by a turn toward the northwest on Thursday, and north or north-northeast on Friday,” the NHC said, adding that “on the forecast track, the center of Nicole will move near or over the Abacos and Grand Bahama in the northwestern Bahamas today and move onshore the east coast of Florida within the hurricane warning area tonight.
“Nicole’s center is then expected to move across central and northern Florida into southern Georgia Thursday and Thursday night, and then across the Carolinas Friday and Friday night.”
It has maximum sustained winds near 70 mph with higher gusts, and some strengthening is expected today.
“Nicole is forecast to become a hurricane near the northwestern Bahamas and remain a hurricane when it reaches the east coast of Florida tonight. Nicole is expected to weaken while moving across Florida and the southeastern United States Thursday through Friday, and it is likely to become a post-tropical cyclone by Friday night over the Mid-Atlantic states.
and then 