By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

CONFUSION and exhaustion swept through the southern islands yesterday as hundreds of residents tried to flee the path of Hurricane Melissa in what officials described as the biggest pre-event evacuation in Bahamian history.

On Mayaguana and Crooked Island, stranded evacuees complained of being locked out of airport terminals for hours without food, water, or bathrooms. Some elderly residents reportedly relieved themselves in bushes as they waited to board flights.

Melissa — a dangerous storm that slammed Jamaica on Tuesday before turning toward Cuba and The Bahamas — was forecast to reach Bahamian waters late yesterday into today as a formidable Category Two or Three system.

Videos and voice notes flooded social media yesterday morning, showing distressed islanders packed at airfields and begging for information about when they would be transported.

Utica Laurel Lightbourne, a resident of Abraham’s Bay, Mayaguana, said residents were told to gather at 7am at the new airport terminal built by the I-Group but were locked outside.

“Residents were crawling in the bush to use the bathroom because the terminal building is closed, so there’s no way for them to relieve themselves,” Ms Lightbourne said. She shared a video showing dozens of vehicles parked at the airstrip with residents waiting inside.

She said around 150 people waited for hours with no government official in sight. By 12.30pm, word spread that the flight had been cancelled.

“It just started spreading word of mouth, basically,” she said. “We don’t have an administrator — we haven’t had an administrator for over a month.”

Ms Lightbourne said residents were later told a 4pm flight might arrive to take only the elderly and families with children. Others were left uncertain.

She claimed Mayaguana residents were being “set on the back burner” as other islands were prioritised. “Inagua already had four planes. One of them left with only 15 passengers; it could have easily stopped here,” she said.

She added that neither the island’s MP nor an administrator could be reached. “We don’t have an MP. It’s pointless trying to reach out to him because he doesn’t know a thing,” she said.

On Crooked Island, Deputy Chief Councillor Elvie Cunningham said about 180 people had registered for evacuation but had received no clear updates. “The administrator, who’s really in charge of the island, is in New Providence, and she’s letting us know she doesn’t have a word yet. They’re not giving her word of any aircraft or when they’re going to come,” she said.

She described residents growing anxious as they waited without shelter while the weather worsened.

Later, residents circulated a voice note from the island administrator saying three flights were expected yesterday afternoon, with more being arranged.

DRMA executive chairman Alex Storr acknowledged the complaints but said “planes are either on the ground in those islands right now or they are on the way there,” describing the massive operation as a “learning experience”.

He said about 430 people were evacuated Monday and nearly 300 more on Tuesday morning, with flights continuing through the evening to remove the roughly 1,400 people listed for evacuation. The DRMA later said 1453 are expected to be evacuated overall.

“It has been a learning experience, and it is hoped that the next time we have to undertake this, we’ll be able to do an even better job from the experiences gained this time,” Mr Storr said.

He said logistics proved difficult as Bahamasair balanced regular flights with emergency missions, and some airfields could not handle large planes.

"We understand the anxiety and urgency being felt by residents awaiting evacuation," the DRMA said in a statement. "Please know that every available resource is being deployed, and every decision made is focused on your safety."

Mr Storr urged anyone still refusing to leave to reconsider, warning that Melissa could still bring “about 20 inches of rainfall and storm surge that can devastate low-lying islands.”

“It doesn’t cost anything to evacuate,” he said. “It’s all on the government’s charge. But if they decide to stay, I pray that God be with them.”

Several evacuees from Inagua told The Tribune they were relieved to have escaped.

Crystal Brown, 33, who left with her ten-year-old daughter and sister, said she had no one to help care for her child and “made the right choice” to leave.

Tamika Major, 26, said nearly all of Matthew Town had evacuated once flights were confirmed. “Better to be safe than sorry,” she said.

Sixty-four-year-old Beverly Anne Thompson said she was thankful for the government-organised evacuation. “I’m just glad that in case the storm became a monster, I was safe,” she said.