Point o’ Vue is on the same parallel as Key West and 250 miles east. The Bahamas technically is not part of the Carbibean, which is further south. Nevertheless, we do live in an area and region that is at risk from Hurricanes. The Hurricane season is said to be between July and November. In living memory and recorded experience there has never been a Hurricane to hit here other than between August 20th and September 28th. So we have a 6-week window of real concern. This is our 20th year at Point o’ Vue and there have been two serious Hurricanes, Andrew and Floyd. JUST two in these many years. So, in reality the risks of experiencing them are quite low. There have been a few good “blows” at other times but nothing serious. Lynnie and I have made many trips to visit in September. People who have been brainwashed by the media think we’re nuts. However, fall is gorgeous here and, again, the risks are really low AND you have plenty of notice on an approaching storm to get out if you must.
Point o’ Vue is up 30 feet from sea level so we will not get the surges from a storm. The home was designed to resist Hurricanes. Columbus, our property Manager, completely Boards us up if a storm is approaching. Andrew turned north and hit the northern part of the island in 92. We experienced no major loss at POV but the island was hit hard and 10 people were killed up near Gregorytown. Floyd was a direct hit. No damage to the house but 50 feet of sand in the lawn area near the Beach!
In both cases there was no phone or power for two weeks. Up in Ohio we had no clue as to whether we had roofs or not after they hit. In one case several of us hired a pilot to fly over from Florida to check on the houses. With Floyd, power came back into Nassau after a week and we would fax messages to Columbus’ brother in Nassau who would take the fax to a Bahamasair pilot who would drop it off in Rock Sound and vice versa!
The Bahamian villages are typically down by the sea. Good breezes explain why. Who would ever want to live on a hot, buggy beach? When the Hurricanes hit the villages are flooded, the people retreat to high places. The clean up takes a long time. There is no FEMA here. Just like in the old days in the States, the Churches take over with the pastors receiving and distributing what aid comes in. The people, who have no real government to depend on, come together and pull together. It’s something I think about when I hear our politicians in the States lambasting the Federal government for not supplying total emergency relief immediately!
