By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Tourism operators in the central Bahamas were yesterday bracing for potential disruption and damage from a still-strong Hurricane Melissa, whose imminent arrival has forced resorts to scale back operations and reduce staff.

Beverly Brittain, marketing manager for Hideaways at Palm Bay in Exuma, said the resort is 98 percent complete with preparations ahead of the storm.

Speaking to Tribune Business, Ms Brittain said staff have completed all essential precautions for the approaching storm with numbers reduced to essential emergency personnel. She said most international guests are departing the island, except for a few local and business travellers who will remain. 

“We're pretty much completely ready to go. We've done all the necessary preparations. We've cleared all our storm drains, put all our materials away, and strapped down everything - any furniture, being like the beach and poolside furniture. All the patios are cleared off, so we are completely ready,” said Ms Brittain

“We've limited the number of staff that are coming in, except for our emergency teams. We will be right on site. We have five team members that live on property, so they will be there for any emergencies. Most of our guests, the last of our guests, are leaving today, with the exception of some local travellers and business travellers that are on the island.”

She added that the resort’s hurricane preparedness plan has gone smoothly thus far, and only the restaurant remains to be secured, as guests will be able to use the amenity until tomorrow when it will close for half a day. 

“We're 98 percent of the way. We just have a few things that are going to be last minute, but we have our team all prepared and our hurricane preparing plan has gone very well. We’ll have a few last-minute things to put away, just because our restaurant isn’t all ready to go,” said Ms Brittain.

“We do have some guests that are still utilising the outside patios and, this afternoon, those will all be put away. We've reduced our hours for the restaurant for tomorrow. We’re closing a little earlier so our team can be home and safe as well. The restaurant will be on for just half a day shift tomorrow.”

Ms Brittian said while the potential wind and flooding from the storm remain a concern, the resort has taken every possible precaution and is now closely monitoring its progress. 

“We're definitely hoping that the winds slow down or calm down. We want it to move quickly but the wind speed and flooding is obviously a concern. We’ve done all we can, we've prepared all our storm drains, cleared all the paths down, secured the property, put up sandbags. So now we just hope for the best,” she added.

Carl Rolle, owner of Rollezz Villas and Beach Resort in Cat Island, said that while his team has completed all storm preparations, there is still an underlying sense of fear and uncertainty about what the coming days may bring. Staff have secured the property, ensured emergency supplies are in place, and are ready to respond if conditions worsen, but the unpredictability of the storm remains a concern.

Speaking to Tribune Business, Mr Rolle also noted the importance of staying prepared not just for local impact but for assisting other countries affected by the hurricane, highlighting the increasing frequency and intensity of storms linked to climate change. 

“We have done our preparation, but it’s scary. We’re as prepared as we can be and hopefully it will only be affecting us maybe as a Category One or Two because we'll be fully prepared for that. We are monitoring and they're not sure whether we’ll be experiencing conditions on Wednesday or even Thursday. I'm looking at it all the time. It's not clear but we are prepared,” said Mr Rolle.

“Right now, we also have to be prepared to do as much as we can to assist others caught in this storm’s path. Jamaica has to go through the second most powerful storm in history. Our thoughts and prayers, because I know Jamaica doesn't get as many hurricanes as The Bahamas does, and I mean, the way it’s going it could be this time for Jamaica and next time for us. So we always have to be mindful of that.”

A hurricane warning remains in effect for the central and south-east Bahamas. Hurricane Melissa is expected to move across the area beginning early Wednesday through Thursday morning, producing hurricane and tropical storm conditions including widespread showers and thunderstorms, plus very strong winds along with dangerous seas. 

Early this week, Prime Minister Philip Davis KC issued an evacuation order for residents in Inagua, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay and Ragged Island.