By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
Tribune Staff Reporter
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 1,400 residents are being evacuated from the southeast Bahamas after Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis issued a mandatory evacuation order ahead of Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to hit Jamaica with catastrophic winds, flooding, and storm surge before heading toward Cuba and The Bahamas as a weaker storm.

The evacuation order applies to Inagua, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island, with priority given to the elderly, the sick, and children, followed by able-bodied residents. The government said air and sea transportation are being provided for all evacuees being relocated to New Providence, where shelters and family accommodations have been arranged.

Mr Davis said the evacuation order came after his briefing by the Disaster Risk Management Authority and the Bahamas Department of Meteorology on the latest forecasts for Hurricane Melissa.

He said the decision “is precautionary and designed to ensure that residents in the most vulnerable islands are relocated before conditions deteriorate. The safety of our people remains our highest priority.”

The Disaster Risk Management (Evacuation – Southeast Bahamas) Order, 2025, issued under section 56 of the Disaster Risk Management Act, took effect on October 27 and remains active until November 1, or until lifted by public notice.

Mr Davis said forecasts show the storm’s outer bands will begin affecting the southeast Bahamas late today, bringing hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall, and up to six feet of storm surge. Supplies, defence, and police force personnel have been pre-positioned, and all government agencies are operating under the National Disaster Response Framework.

He said relocating residents to New Providence was deliberate, as other Family Islands could also experience tropical storm conditions.

Deputy Director of Meteorology Jeffrey Green noted that up to press time, Hurricane Melissa was a Category 5 system with sustained winds of 175mph, moving northwest at three miles per hour. He warned that rainfall of up to ten inches is expected in the southeast Bahamas, with storm surge of four to six feet above normal dry ground possible.

Mr Green said the system will move near or over Jamaica, across southeastern Cuba, and into the southeast and central Bahamas by Wednesday. A hurricane warning is in effect for Exuma, Long Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Cat Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, Mayaguana, Inagua, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Minister of State and Disaster Risk Management Authority Managing Director Leon Lundy said evacuation flights began early yesterday and continued into the night. The first groups of evacuees from Inagua and Acklins arrived safely in New Providence and were processed at the Kendall GL Isaacs Gymnasium before being moved to shelters, including the Nassau Village Community Centre, New Bethlehem Baptist Church, Remnant Tabernacle Church of God, Epworth Hall, New Providence Community Centre, Fox Hill Community Centre, and the Regions Hotel.

He said evacuation flights will continue through today, but there will be a cut-off point after which all flights and emergency operations will be suspended until the all-clear is given. Disaster Risk Management Authority Director Aaron Sargent said five aircraft will depart New Providence beginning at 5am today, with more to be added if needed.

So far, more than 370 people have been evacuated, but authorities expect the number to exceed 1,400 as residents comply with the order. Mr Sargent warned that once operations pause for the storm’s passage, no further assistance can be provided until the all-clear is issued.

Although Hurricane Melissa is expected to hit The Bahamas as just a Category One storm, Mr Sargent defended the evacuation order.

"It's not just as simple as a category two,” he said. “If you look and we go back to just as recent as Tropical Storm Imelda, which brought eight to ten inches of rain, you would appreciate that in the Southeastern Bahamas, it is low lying, with the exception of Ragged Island and a Cat two could pose immense challenges with the capacity being lower than what it is in the capital and Grand Bahama, or the coping capacity that are in the much more developed islands."

Mr Davis, meanwhile, extended his prayers to Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Haiti, which are already enduring the storm’s impact.

“We stand with them in solidarity and in prayer,” he said. “The people of The Bahamas know all too well the fear and uncertainty that come with a storm of this strength.”