NASSAU| Grand Bahama since Hurricane Dorian has not just become an environmental disaster, but, right now on the ground, it has become an ecological and psychological one.
We are being told still to this day the Statoil situation is bad. Anyone accessing the area gets immediate burning-of-the-eyes as the spilled black oil remains splattered all across the land, across the whole area and it is leaching into the sea.
There is little word on when schools will reopen. Huge Campbell High School was under water and the area transformed into a ghost town. No word when or where classes will resume.
Water is still off across the island with notices of contamination still in effect. Lines for gas at the pumps remain a challenge, with some starting up at 4:30 am. While more stations are now opening, the desperate situation is changing at a very slow pace during this recovery.
Some banks have reported ATMs being vandalized, a situation still not being reported by police. Banks have shortened days in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, closing in the early afternoon which has made it even more difficult for clients.
Some bank ATMs are not operational at all and the desperation to access cash is quickly becoming another problem for residents who are just trying to hold things together. This is serious. “We are doing the best we can, working around the clock to get our operations back to normal. We know it is hard, but with system challenges and no electricity, our operations are doing the best we can to help our customers,” one local bank representative said.
Pensioners, who were paid early by the government to help jumpstart their recovery, are in a more difficult situation due to the banks’ slow-paced return to normalcy. Pensioners are having a difficult task collecting their funds with inactive or empty ATMs all across the island.
Bahamas Press is calling on all bankers to do more to make it easier to assist these persons [pensioners], who are the real victims of this long nightmare called Dorian.
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