By NEIL HARTNELL 

Tribune Business Editor 

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

COMMERCE was yesterday said to be shutting down in Grand Bahama and Abaco as “nervous” and “anxious” residents prepared for Hurricane Milton with memories of Dorian still fresh for many.

James Carey, the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce’s president, told Tribune Business there had been “a mild panic” as residents raced to stock up on essential food and other items but said he expected the storm will not do “too much worse than Grand Bahama Power Company” in terms of its impact on daily life.

Grand Bahama, as well as Abaco and Bimini, are expected to fell Milton’s outer tropical storm force winds if it remains on its present track. “We are always concerned about storms,” Mr Carey said. “We’re still in shock from the numerous hurricanes we’ve had over the last 25 years. I think everyone has prepared well.

“It’s anticipated that we’ll have some tropical storm force gusts, which won’t impact us too much. I can’t see it doing too much worse than the Power Company has done in recent times. The way it’s going, I don’t see it being particularly impactful. I understand there’s a bit of a mild panic on the ground with people getting prepared but that’s not surprising.”

Mr Carey, who is presently on a business trip in Canada, said Milton’s emergence shows the fall-out from climate change “is very real regardless of what the naysayers are saying”. He added: “I’ve lived in Freeport for 45 years, and at the beginning of my stay there in winter time we were getting temperatures down in the 40s. We’ve not seen that for many years now. Our winters can best be described as mild.

“I had a lot of second thoughts about making this trip. I left Freeport on Sunday and had a lot of second thoughts about it, but ultimately looking at the projected track I decided to make the trip because it was not possible to delay it based on its nature.”

Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis, Abaco’s Chamber of Commerce president, similarly told Tribune Business that commercial activity on the island was much reduced yesterday as residents prepared for Milton. “There is obviously quite a bit of anxiety and people are obviously nervous,” she said. “The town is quiet except for the supermarket where everyone is stocking up.

“The food shelves are quite empty. I’ve just come from one myself. Nobody is putting up any shutters but everyone is in that anxious mode. There’s no proper hurricane shelter other than the shelters that have been repaired and the ones that existed in the last hurricane.

“We’re going to get a blow, maybe 30 to 40 mile per hour winds but no more than that, which is OK. We can handle that but it doesn’t make anyone feel more comfortable until it’s done and over. Tampa is really going to take a bad beating. I have friends and family there, and after what they saw with Helene they are definitely terrified,” Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis continued.

“Anyone who doesn’t understand we are suffering the effects of climate change is completely ignorant because hurricanes can now go from Category One to Category Five in a flash; in a 24 hour period and be so massive.”

Hurricane Milton is currently a Category Five hurricane that is expected to make landfall along Florida’s west coast on Wednesday night. Addressing the country last night, Prime Minister Philip Davis KC said the Department of Meteorology has issued a tropical storm warning for Abaco, Bimini, Grand Bahama and the surrounding cays.

“Hurricane Milton continues to strengthen as it approaches the western coast of Florida, and is currently a Category Five hurricane,” said Mr Davis.

“The Met Office has upgraded the status for islands in the northern Bahamas from a ‘tropical storm watch’ to a ‘tropical storm warning’. This means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours on the islands of Abaco, Bimini and Grand Bahama, and the surrounding cays.

“While the threat is not as significant as that of the hurricane threat posed to our neighbours in Florida, we still need to take it seriously.” Mr Davis said heavy rainfall and excessive flooding is expected in Andros, the Berry Islands, New Providence and Eleuthera.

“The Met Office advises that, as Hurricane Milton passes over Florida, tropical storm winds will be experienced on Abaco, Bimini and Grand Bahama and the surrounding cays,” said Mr Davis.

“These islands have already experienced excessive rainfall since Sunday from another storm system. And so the ground is already saturated with water.

“Heavy rainfall has also been experienced on other islands in recent days, namely on Andros, the Berry Islands, New Providence and Eleuthera. And now the rainfall from Hurricane Milton is expected to intensify, especially overnight on Wednesday. The Met Office advises that as a result there is likely to be extensive flooding. Take whatever precautions are necessary to protect yourselves.”