By PAVEL BAILEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A CROOKED ISLAND farmer is appealing for government assistance after Hurricane Melissa devastated his five-acre farm, which had supplied fresh fruit to his community.

Meanwhile, Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said farmers in his constituency suffered similar damage, though recovery efforts are now underway.

Michael Carroll told The Tribune his banana and plantain crops on Crooked Island were destroyed by flooding and winds estimated at 120mph.

Mr Carroll, who has farmed on the island for 14 years, said the storm left him discouraged and estimated it would take 18 months for his crops to recover.

He said he had more than 100 plantain trees, as well as coconut and papaya trees, and regularly supplied produce to residents and his own store.

“It’s pretty discouraging,” he said. “After you put all this time and effort, things look good, and then something like this comes through and knocks you down.”

Photos from his farm showed trees uprooted and strewn across the ground, surrounded by debris and standing floodwater.

Despite the setback, Mr Carroll said he remains hopeful that with financial assistance, he can rebuild.

“If the government would assist the farms, that would help me get back up,” he said. “You’ve got to clean up the farms you gotta get it all back up and running. See if we can get them growing again.”

Mr Gibson said several Long Island farmers also suffered crop damage and downed vegetation but added that the island was spared the scale of devastation seen during Hurricane Joaquin in 2015.

“Compared to Joaquin and compared to our previous experiences it’s not as catastrophic,” Mr Gibson said, “most certainly not. But we do need whatever assistance incoming as it relates to government intervention and NGOs as we all try to reset and restore what has been lost during the storm.”

He said flooding was the main issue for Long Island, caused by poor drainage along roadways, which he intends to address.

Mr Gibson added that several properties lost roof shingles, including his own home, but utilities were being restored and downed telephone lines repaired.

He noted that some residents experienced Aliv service outages and said he has been in contact with the company’s CEO, John Gomez, to resolve the issue.

Mr Gibson was among the passengers on the first Bahamasair flight to Long Island on Sunday and said he continues to reach out to residents to ensure their needs are met. He added that he has arranged drinking water supplies for affected households.