BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS of Grand Cay, Abaco, say they feel abandoned by the government amid ongoing power and water outages that have made life unbearable and driven tourists away.

Several residents , speaking to The Tribune yesterday, expressed frustration over what they described as a daily crisis — the lack of reliable electricity, running water, and phone service.

They said the persistent issues are affecting the well-being of locals and tourists alike.

“Right now, the power is off. If we were to have a major emergency on this island, we have no way of making a call,” said longtime resident Craig Cephas, who was sweating profusely, in a video posted on social media.

“Sometimes the power goes off all day and you left in the heat, and you don’t even have AC in your home. This is crazy, how people supposed to survive?”

Residents said that despite the arrival of a new generator last August or September, the issues have not been resolved.

Steven Russell, a fisherman, said residents can barely perform basic tasks like showering, washing clothes, or flushing toilets due to the ongoing water and power problems.

“We have been dealing with this for so long, I am not talking about weeks and months. This has been ongoing issues since last year, for more than a year,” he told The Tribune.

According to Mr Russell, water is only available from 7am to 9am and again at 6pm for just an hour.

“We can’t wash clothes,” he added. “At nights you can’t use your bathroom because there is no water to flush your toilet. You wake in the morning you have to hurry up bathed. When you come home from work, you can’t bathe.”

In addition to the island’s outdated water infrastructure, he said the generator cannot meet the current power demand.

They also said frequent power cuts also take down the phone system, leaving residents unable to call for help during emergencies.

According to them, a Freeport-based company used to service the generator monthly, but the current administration awarded the contract to a Nassau-based company that has only visited once.

“This power company is being paid by this administration for years and years, and they have not come over here to service the generator, to see if it is still running, to find out whether it had diesel in it,” Mr Cephas said.

In the absence of consistent government support, he said local officials had been purchasing diesel themselves to keep the generator running, but that has now stopped.

Tourism, one of the cay’s main economic drivers, is also being impacted.

Mr Cephas said over the weekend, the island was filled with American guests, many of whom left early due to the conditions.

“Every place that had rentals were booked out. It was so sad that people could not even stay in their rooms,” the resident said, adding that guests returning from fishing were unable to take showers or clean their vessels.

 “Nobody should be going through what we going through with the power and water situation. We can’t shower on this island. In this heat, I am sitting in the comfort of my home, it’s not comfort no more. Sweat is pouring off me,” Mr Cephas said.

Residents also criticised the government’s inaction, noting that no official has visited to assess the situation.

Referencing the island’s MP, Kirk Cornish, Mr Russell said: “The worse situation about all of this is that he was employed at Water Sewerage before he became MP. He is aware of the situation. Everything is being ignored.”

In response, the Free National Movement issued a statement criticising the government’s failure to address the issues in Grand Cay. “It should never have to come to this—residents of Grand Cay pleading on social media for basic services like water, electricity, and phone access,” the statement read.

“This government has failed the people of Grand Cay.”