8:15 AM 9/3/2004

Harbour Island/Eleuthera Morning Roundup [8:00a]

South Bar reports that the Harbour Island has been continually pounded with wind and rain since last night at 9, and it looks as though the eye will be going over Spanish Wells in a couple of hours. There is no electricity but phones are presently working. The tide is going down so hopefully the surge will be less as the tide is down. The consensus to date is that Frances is not as bad a storm as Andrew but more in the line of Floyd.

**

James Cistern just reported a few minutes ago that they're right in the middle of the eye (7:50a) ... and Warren Miller of Hatchet Bay called in this morning just to commend the ZNS 1 coverage countrywide. Miller says that things got rough last night, but Hatchet Bay folks ** unlike Governor's Harbour or James Cistern [or Harbour Island, for that matter, where the Vic Hum Club was packed from 5:00p forward :-)!] ** were staying inside and pretty well packed down for the storm -- so far so good.

North Eleuthera/Harbour Island are reporting intense 120 mph winds -- South Eleuthera winds beginning to intensify as the eye passes north.

The eye is over Central Eleuthera at this moment ... the general sentiment of everyone calling in from the Out Islands this morning to discuss their various situation ** flooding and high winds in Long Island, houses damaged in San Salvador, electricity and Internet access and cable out in Abaco, high winds in Cat Island ** is that of relief that things aren't worse. ** ====================================

Exumas, Eluthera, Cat Island reports

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Friday, September 02, 2004

Today in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Cat Island:

7:00p EST

Per local councilor Harvey Roberts, a visual inspection of Harbour Island's

three-mile pink sand beach at 7:00p EST showed complete storm erosion.

6:00p EST

ZNS is broadcasting right now that the Glass Window Bridge is sporting

30-feet waves and has been closed to all traffic. Further north in

Eleuthera, the commercial dock at Three Islands facing Harbour Island is

completely submerged, even though it's still high tide.

5:00p EST

South Cat Island command control is reporting 110 mph winds there at 5:00p,

well in advance of the storm's expected eye landfall at 8:00p this evening.

2:00p EST

Governor's Harbour High School is being closed as an emergency shelter,

thanks to a compromised roof. All residents are being transferred to

Worker's House there.

All day

DaBahamianTing.com is streaming ZNS television and radio reports

live. Once electricity in Nassau goes off, though, you'll have to head to

BahamasIssues.com and catch the DaBahamianTing radio coverage from there.

Their weather reports are the best that we have found that are specific to

the islands of the Bahamas.

12:00p EST

In Tarpum Bay, skies are completely overcast. Some rain has fallen for the

first time from this hurricane. Wind gusts as a result of Frances are

currently up to 50 to 60 mph in gusts. These gusts appear occasionally and

then calm down again.

***

Governor's Harbour has moved its local government storm shelter inland from

its traditional location on the waterfront. Satellite communications are

intact.

***

The farmers in North Eleuthera have been busy drydocking boats and burying

natural gas and other gas canisters in anticipation of flooding later tonight.

***

Harbour Island has been without electricity since noon (power turned off as

a precaution by BEC), but all local shelters are busy and the local

government storm office is fully-manned.

More news later ...

Eleu.net Deserted Beach News

Fig Tree News Team at Briland.com

- Exuma

* From: "Scott Giacobbe" <giacobbs AT exuma.cms.southcom.mil>

* Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 18:42:22 -0400

We are sitting it out in Exuma...No prob here... she is in San Sal now and

we are getting about 40 mph...It's 4:23 and we had expected much worse we

are greatful and surprised...We all still have VHF and are intouch with

Locals and Boaters alike...We do have more to go...Try to get back with you

later.

Connie Giacobbe

George Town, Great Exuma

Bahamas