Hurricane Joaquin BMOT Update 4
Oct. 2, 2015 at 2 P.M. EST
•
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (BMOT) has fully activated its
Emergency Coordinating Committee at the British Colonial Hilton in
preparation for Hurricane Joaquin.
• The committee represents a
cross-section of the Ministry of Tourism that includes senior management
and other officers who will monitor the storm’s movements.
• BMOT’s
crisis management team is liaising with the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA), Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA),
Nassau Airport Development Company, the Port Authority and other
relevant authorities.
• We are distributing communiqués on the global
news wire as NEMA issues new alerts. The communiqués include the latest
updates from airline and hotel partners.
• We are reiterating in
all Hurricane Joaquin press communiqués, that The Bahamas is an
archipelago with more than 700 islands and keys spread over 100,000
square miles. Therefore, there could be a tropical storm or hurricane
warning for the southern islands and the central and northern islands
remain unaffected. In essence, hurricanes rarely affect the entire
country.
• We are reassuring consumers that all hotels and resorts
throughout The Islands Of The Bahamas have activated their hurricane
programs and are taking all necessary precautions to protect visitors
and residents, as safety remains the highest priority. We have the
visitor count by island and are receiving frequent updates.
• All BTO's globally are keeping industry partners updated with latest alerts and communiqués.
• Posting all alerts and communiqués on bahamas.com/storms.
• Posting real time photos from around the islands on The Bahamas social media channels.
•
Contacted ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, AP, MSNBC, CNN International Weather
Channel and Reuters to request interviews with the Director General so
that we can get the real story out to the public.
• Several
interviews have been conducted with the Director General in Nassau, with
the sun shining and the ocean as the backdrop.
• The Director
General was interviewed by NBC 6 Miami and NBC Universal (which includes
MSNBC.) She stressed that The Bahamas is an archipelago and while some
of the islands are experiencing Hurricane conditions, many others are
not being affected. We are sending out photos of islands experiencing
severe weather and islands with minimal to no effects to international
media to demonstrate this.
• The DG did live interviews with ZNS at 1am and again at 6am
• MOT Emergency Coordinating committee conducted a press conference at 12pm, 10/02/2015.
•
The Meteorology Department wishes to inform the Bahamian people that
the Department’s Doppler Radar is operational and has been operational
continuously and throughout the entire tracking process of Hurricane
Joaquin. Any assertion to the contrary is incorrect.
- We have contacted the Weather Channel, provided the statement from the Met Office and requested a retraction.
• The Weather Channel is looking into the matter and will get back to us soon.
- DG read the Met Office statement at the press conference this morning.
- The statement was included in global, communiqué 5 as well as in a local release.
- The statement has been posed on Tourism Today’s Facebook page and it will be posted on TourismToday.com.
• We continue to monitor the US coverage of the hurricane for accuracy.
• We are monitoring the cruise itinerary changes and informing consumers.
Airport Update:
•
At 1000hrs this morning NAD Operations received the attached official
NOTAM from ATC advising that Air Traffic Services will be suspended the
2nd October, 2015 from 2pm (1400hrs) to 7am (0700hrs) 3rd October,
2015. Subsequently, airport operations will be suspended during this
timeframe as well.
• It is expected at this time that all
stakeholders would have taken the necessary precautions to prepare for
the storm. Given the timeframe, we will not request a Stakeholder’s
meeting. Please continue to monitor the updates via www.nassaulpia.com
website and social media (Facebook and Twitter).
• NAD Scheduling
was advised that Bahamasair, Sky Bahamas and Southern Air have cancelled
all flights to the Central and Southern Bahamas due to weather.
•
Leair has cancelled all flights today. Pineapple Air and Southern Air
have cancelled all morning flights and will continue to monitor the
weather before making decisions about afternoon flights.
The
Department of Civil Aviation advises the public that the following
airport closures are in effect as a result of Hurricane Joaquin:
• Matthew Town, Inagua
• Abraham’s Bay, Mayaguana
• Spring Point, Acklins
• Colonel Hill, Crooked Island
• Duncan Town, Ragged Island
• Port Nelson, Rum Cay
• Stella Maris, Long Island
• Dead Man’s Cay, Long Island
• Moss Town, Exuma
• Arthur’s Town, Cat Island
• New Bight, Cat Island
• Cockburn Town, San Salvador
•
Additionally, Lynden Pindling International Airport will be closed
today at 2 pm, 2nd October, 2017, and will reopen at 7 am on Saturday,
3rd October, barring any unforeseen circumstances. All airports in
Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera, Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands, and in
the Exuma Cays will also close at 2 pm today, and re-open at 7am
tomorrow, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
• The airports in
the southernmost family islands will reopen after runway inspections
are done by the Department of Civil Aviation, and they are determined to
be safe for operation.
Bahamas Cruise Itinerary Changes
Updates By Island
•
The Port of Nassau will close at 12pm today and is schedule to open
tomorrow at 7 A.M. EST. As a result of the Hurricane Warning, cruise
lines have rerouted:
• Carnival Sensation: Carnival Sensation's
three-night Bahamas cruise -- which departed October 1 -- will visit
Freeport instead of Nassau on October 2.
• Norwegian Getaway: On
October 2, Norwegian Getaway will skip Nassau for a sea day before
returning to Miami Saturday morning.
• Royal Princess: Royal Princess will skip the line's private island on September 30 and October 2.
•
Disney Magic: Disney Magic has been forced to skip its scheduled
visits to Castaway Cay and Nassau. The ship's new itinerary is Key West
on October 1, Cozumel on October 2 and a sea day on October 3.
•
Disney Dream: Disney Dream will replace its October 2 call at Nassau
with a sea day. As of now, it will visit Castaway Cay on October 3 as
scheduled.
• Disney Fantasy: Disney Dream -- which is approaching
the end of a weeklong Eastern Caribbean cruise -- will skip Castaway Cay
on October 2 before returning to Port Canaveral on Saturday.
• Carnival Pride Freeport call is cancelled for October 2.
• Carnival Fantasy Freeport call is cancelled for October 3.
• Majesty of the Seas: Diverted to Freeport for October 3.
Nassau, NP
• LPIA closing at 2pm Friday, October 2 and opens at 7am Saturday, October 3.
• Six cruise cancellations for Friday, October 2
• Nassau Port still expecting five ships on Saturday, no changes to those schedules yet
Number of visitors on island: Approximately 5,700 (4,999 in major hotels, estimate for second home owners and small hotels)
Grand Bahama
Hotels:
There
are 1604 guests on Grand Bahama Island of which there are 20 in the
West, 2 in the East and 1582 in Freeport. Viva Fortuna is closed as
usual for this time of year for maintenance, etc.
Marinas:
Port
Lucaya Marina has 12 long-term vessels in birth, but prepared to move
them to safe harbour at the Grand Bahama Yacht Club Marina. Old Bahama
Bay in West End has 6 vessels in birth and will advise evacuation per
the Met's Office advice.
Freeport Harbour/Cruises:
Freeport
Harbour is operating business as usual. All cruise lines are reported to
be on schedule; Carnival Sunshine and Balearia came in as usual today
(Thursday). Carnival Pride, Fascination, Grand Celebration and Balearia
are expected in on schedule tomorrow (Friday, Oct. 2). Saturday's (Oct
3) schedule includes only the Balearia.
Airport:
The GB Airport Company is reporting business as usual. All flights are arriving as scheduled. No delays reported at this time.
Administrator/NEMA:
The
local NEMA office met this morning and stand ready to activate as
necessary. Closely monitoring the Fishing Hole Road as it is prone to
flooding. Making provisional plans for medical care in the West in the
event of closure of the road.
Freeport Harbour Company/Cruises:
In port today, October 3rd:
Grand Celebration - 709 pax
Carnival Fascination - 2,335 pax
Carnival Sensation - 2,370 pax (Diverted)
Balearia - 69 pax
In port tomorrow, October 4th:
Norwegian's Majesty of the Sea - Diverted
Norwegian's Enchantment of the Sea - Diverted
Carnival Fantasy has cancelled - Originally diverted
Balearia
Family Islands
• Power off in most of the Family Islands
Berry Islands
• Quiet morning in The Berry Islands. The winds have diminished but overcast skies
Acklins
• No communication since last night
• Reports of Bonefish lodges underwater
• Flooding in several areas
Long Island
• No communication since last night
•
Last report roofs were flying off. Lots of flooding. High winds. There
were also rumors of evacuations from homes, but no confirmation due to
lack of communication
Harbour Island
• Light wind this morning and light rain overnight. Beaches are taking a beating and sea level is rising rapidly.
South Andros and Mangrove Cay
• Overcast with winds 15 to 20 knots.
• Light rain
• Flooding in low lying areas
Total number of visitors on each island:
Abaco - 18
Acklins - 1
C. Andros - 6
S. Andros - 26
Bimini - 218
Cat Island - 8
Crooked Island - 6
Eleuthera - 6
Exuma - 197
Inagua - 20
Long Island - 10
Mayaguana - 2
San Salvador - 2
TOTAL – 520
(This may include domestic tourists)
PREVIOUS REPORT:
NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS – Hurricane Joaquin continues its path over the Central Bahamas today as an extremely
dangerous Category 4 hurricane. The Central Bahamas will continue to experience
hurricane force winds of up to 130 mph with higher gusts. Heavy
rainfall could result in life threatening flash floods over the Central and
Southeast Bahamas through today. A very dangerous and life threatening storm
surge will raise water levels by as much as 6 to 12 feet above normal tide
levels in the Central Bahamas.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the Central Bahamas
and the Northwestern Bahamas including: the Abacos, the Berry Islands,
Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, New Providence,and
Acklins, Crooked Island, and Mayaguana in the Southeast Bahamas.
A Hurricane Warning means that
hurricane conditions are expected within in the warning area within 36 hours. A
Hurricane Watch is in effect for Bimini and Andros Island. A Hurricane Watch
means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warming area
within 48 hours.
A Tropical Storm
Warning is in effect for the remainder of the Southeast Bahamas and the Turks
and Caicos islands. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm
conditions are expected in the warning area within 36 hours.
At 5am EDT, the center of Hurricane
Joaquin was located near Latitude 23.3 degrees north and Longitude 74.7 degrees
west or about 20 miles Northeast of Clarence Town, Long Island, 50 miles
South-Southwest of San Salvador, 25 miles South-Southeast of Rum Cay, 77 miles
Southeast of San Salvador, 25 miles South-Southeast of the Bight, Cat Island,
and 206 miles Southeast of New Providence.
Hurricane Joaquin is drifting toward
the Northwest near 3 MPH. A faster northward motion is expected to begin later
today, followed by a turn toward the northeast and an increase in forward speed
tonight and Saturday. Some fluctuations in intensity are possible during the
next 24 hours. Slow weakening is expected to begin on Saturday.
On its present track, the center of
the hurricane will move over or near Rum Cay and between Cat Island and San
Salvador today. Residents in Long Island, Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador
will experience Hurricane force winds today. Meanwhile residents in Exuma and
Eleuthera should experience Tropical Storm force winds today and tonight.
Residents in Acklins and Crooked Island could experience gradual improvement
throughout today.
Hurricane force winds extend outward
up to 50 miles from the center and Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up
to 205 miles from the center.
Again, residents in the Warning Areas
should have completed preparations for the impact of Joaquin, which includes
severe flooding.
Small craft operators throughout The
Bahamas should remain in port as large swells and battering waves will affect
the Bahamas during the next few days.
All hotels and resorts throughout The Islands Of The Bahamas have
activated their hurricane programs and are taking all necessary precautions to
protect visitors and residents, as safety remains the highest priority.
Two
international flights from Miami and flights from elsewhere in the
Caribbean have been cancelled due to Hurricane Joaquin. These include American
Airlines flights 4422 and 4232 from Miami, Inter Caribbean flight 272/273, and
Caribbean Airlines flight 414/415. Delta, JetBlue, British Airways, Air Canada,
WestJet and Cubana have not cancelled and will arrive at their scheduled times.
Bahamasair, Sky Bahamas, Leair and Southern Air have cancelled all
flights to the Central and Southern Bahamas due to the hurricane. Pineapple Air
and Southern Air have cancelled all morning flights and will continue to
monitor the weather before making decisions about afternoon flights.
As a result of the Hurricane Warning, cruise lines have been rerouting.
These include:
Carnival Sensation: Carnival Sensation's three-night
Bahamas cruise -- which departed October 1 -- will visit Freeport instead of
Nassau on October 2.
Norwegian Getaway: On October 2, Norwegian Getaway will skip Nassau for a sea day before
returning to Miami Saturday morning.
Royal Princess: Royal Princess will skip the line's private island on September 30 and
October 2.
Disney Magic: Disney Magic has been forced to skip its scheduled visits to Castaway
Cay and Nassau. The ship's new itinerary is Key West on October 1, Cozumel on
October 2 and a sea day on October 3.
Disney Dream: Disney Dream will replace its October 2 call at Nassau with a sea day.
As of now, it will visit Castaway Cay on October 3as
scheduled.
Disney Fantasy: Disney Dream -- which is approaching the end of a weeklong Eastern
Caribbean cruise -- will skip Castaway Cay on October
2 before returning to Port Canaveral on Saturday.
The Islands Of The Bahamas will be releasing updates on tracking of Hurricane
Joaquin, but we encourage everyone to access the National Hurricane Center and
The Weather Channel for latest updates. For more information on Hurricane Joaquin and The
Islands Of The Bahamas, travel professionals and consumers are advised to
access the following:
The National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov
The Weather Channel at www.weather.com
