By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Super Value’s president yesterday revealed weekend sales were “at least 25 percent” above normal as New Providence residents raced to stock-up before Tropical Storm Imelda’s arrival.

Debra Symonette told Tribune Business that Bahamians were “shopping like crazy” at the 13-store supermarket chain’s outlets from Friday as the likelihood of this nation suffering a direct hit from the system increased.

BISX-listed AML Foods was also inundated by customers taking no chances. “Solomon’s Yamacraw probably had a record day yesterday [Saturday] parking lot full for the first time ever that I saw,” one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “I had to wait for a grocery cart, long lines at the register. People were stocking up as if there was an apocalypse instead of a heavy rainstorm.”

Ms Symonette, meanwhile, told this newspaper: “People were shopping like crazy. I guess we can just say that everybody took advantage of the stores being open and they showed up. The main thing is everybody was getting prepared, everybody showed up, and it’s up to us to have on hand what they need in case something happens and they cannot get out.

“We opened on Sunday. Some of the stores that usually stay open a little later closed earlier this time. Our main thing is to try and assist the public in getting what they need through something like a storm.”

Asked by how much Super Value’s sales increased compared to a typical, non-storm weekend, Ms Symonette replied: “I think by at least 25 percent probably. Sales usually go up by a significant amount around that type of time when all the customers try and get everything that they need.

“The stores were a little mad. We tried to handle it, and the staff did a good job getting customers in and out and getting them what they needed. We had to check the roof on a couple of stores after the storm had passed; there was a little flood in some of the aisles, but nothing major.”

Acknowledging that Imelda has temporarily disrupted supply chains and inventory deliveries, both on sea and land, Ms Symonette said: “We did have some late deliveries even with land supplies. Some of them were not delivering on a normal schedule. 

“We made do with what we had, and suggested to customers what could replace what was missing. We should be largely back on schedule by tomorrow [today]. There was definitely a bump in sales. We’re now back to normal. It was difficult for the staff at times to get in after the storm because we had the flooding, but we’re doing our best to get everybody back in place and everything back to normal.”

Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis, the immediate past Abaco Chamber of Commerce president, yesterday told Tribune Business that - despite heavy rainfall and significant flooding in Marsh Harbour - there were no reports of major damage to buildings even though Imelda passed over the island with higher maximum sustained wind gusts of 50 miles per hour.

This compared to the 40 miles per hour sustained by New Providence the previous night, and she said: “We had tons of rain earlier [this morning] Marsh Harbour is completely flooded. There’s been no reports of any major damage. There are no issues to be concerned about per se other than the flooding.

“That’s to be expected because we still haven’t cleared the drains properly so what do you expect? They need to clean the drains; not just open them up but blow them out. I keep saying this every opportunity that I have, but nobody seems to be doing anything about it.

“This government keeps on talking about the infrastructure they are putting in, building this and that, but what about maintaining the things they have got?” Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis asked. “This hurricane shelter in Abaco is still not completed. They started building it four years ago and it is still not completed. It is beyond the point of ridiculous.

“They want to be commended for all these things they say they are doing. We have a track record of successive governments not maintaining our property, our assets. They’re not maintaining the properties they have but are boasting about what other properties they are going to build.”

Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis cited, in particular, a Marsh Harbour park where persons come to purchase food from vendors as having flood water up to the height of picnic tables. “That’s got to be at least three-four feet deep in the heart of town,” she added, “and I’m sure that businesses that have rebuilt from Dorian have been flooded as well because they didn’t build their foundations to the level to stop water getting in.

“I think, though, we’ve been lucky with this. I think businesses have been closed much the same as in Nassau, and tomorrow will be a catch-up, with clean-up and sorting out, and we will be back to what we call normal by Wednesday. We sat in the elbow of the storm, and we got the least of the brunt of it.”

Roscoe Thompson, central district of Abaco councillor and chairman of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, told this newspaper that flooding from Imelda had started to dry up and clear when he drove around the area yesterday afternoon.

“Everything went well,” he said. “We had some flooding with the high tide; the main strip in Marsh Harbour, some areas of Dundas Town, but Marsh Harbour - once the tide went down - it cleared. There was some bad flooding by the Government complex because it’s a low-lying area. Considering everything, we’re very lucky. It could have been a lot worse than what it was.

“Most of the issue was the flooding. Once the tide receded, most of the water went out of Marsh Harbour. I drove around a couple of hours ago and most of the flooding had receded in Marsh Harbour, which was great. It’s good to see. There was no structural damage to businesses or homes, or trees down or anything like that. It was more the rain and the flooding.

“I think a lot of Bahamians were anxious, especially here. A lot of Abaconians were anxious to see what happened. I was glad it ended up as a a tropical storm rather than a category one or two hurricane, otherwise The Bahamas would have taken a hit from north to south.”

Mr Thompson said Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) had shut off electricity supply at 10am yesterday morning, but it was subsequently restored apart from in areas where lines were down “here and there”.