HOME OWNERS' HOTLINE

December 1999 Table of Contents

HOMEOWNER'S HOTLINE

I write these notes with the noise of workmen's hammerings in my ears, while
random anxieties for each of you, and how you fared in Hurricanes Dennis and
Floyd, permeate my heart.

John's and my return to Treasure Cay, each autumn, is an event which we have
always, until now, eagerly anticipated. This year, we were greeted by the
usual friendly words and smiles from all those we know at the airport, but
their furrowed, pre-occupied brows belied those smiles. Jerry McDonald who
had always been there to greet us with his infectious grin, was nowhere to
be seen. Floyd had devastated both his taxi cabs and badly damaged his home.
Yet he had still, so thoughtfully, sent a replacement to help us get to Lacey
Daze. Stories such as his are all too prevalent this last year of the
millennium, on this Floyd-ravaged little island that has for so long been
our winter haven.

We thought we knew what to expect when we arrived but we were wrong. The
reality exceeded our worst fears, For several weeks the saga of Dennis and
Floyd and the havoc they had wrought throughout Abaco and to our own home,
had filled our waking hours. Our main sources were a few frustratingly
intermittent and foreshortened telephone talks with our dear friend Marcellus
Roberts to whom we owe so much, and the Abaco Message Board of oii.net that
maintained multilateral communication among homeowners throughout the
tragedy and its aftermath. Sinclair Frederick, its webmaster, Steve Rutledge, who
stayed in touch with the few ham radio operators left on the islands and
faithfully relayed their reports and the ever-present Justin, who seemed
constantly to be on hand to help maintain communications, despite the total
loss of his home on Elbow Cay, were the ones most responsible for that
yeoman effort. They surely deserve our gratitude. They certainly have mine!

Worried about our house and the fortunes of dear friends here, we had wanted
to get back sooner, but Marcellus and the Message Board warned that, lacking
water, telephone and electricity, there was very little we could do except
burden an infrastructure that was already stretched to its limits. They were
right. We arrived two days after all three had been restored in our part of
Treasure Cay. We are among the lucky ones in that respect. Most on our island
now have water and telephone, but there are still many homes without power,
eight weeks after Floyd wreaked his havoc.

Marcellus had done a wonderful clean up job for us before we arrived, He'd
gathered twenty loads of house and garden debris and had them trucked to the
dump. He had already had Gordon Kirkpatrick, our insurance appraiser, in to
assess the damage to our home, and obtained repair quotes in anticipation of
our arrival. What would we have done without you, Marcellus?

Many homeowners preceded us here. Few, except for year-round residents,
having administered first aid to their homes and possessions, and set their
insurance claims in motion, chose to remain here, given the circumstances,
for very long. Many, of course, had no choice, because they had no home. We,
consumed with the same tasks, and despite the head start given to us by
Marcellus, have been unable to take the time to stray very far from Lacey
Daze. So I have little homeowner news to report.

Doreen and Bruce Barth were among the first to return, to find the living
areas of their home on Windward beach to be among the few that remained
habitable there, after the storm. But their car and downstairs areas had
been submerged by the storm's surge and destroyed. They braved it virtually
alone, along that devastated road, with no water, a gas-driven generator and
a borrowed car, for three weeks before they took off for a much-needed rest
to the south of France. They're back now, still without their replacement
car, trying to get their garden back to its pristine beauty.

Ron and Jackie Wilson suffered similar fortune across the street. Ron lost
all his tools, which, for years, thanks to his generosity, have been loaners
for many of his friends and neighbours. Unaccountably, having complained for
years about the endless "honey do" list with which Jackie plies him, he
rushed out to replace those tools! It seems to me, Ron, that you deprived
yourself of the perfect excuse to put your feet up, relax a while and ignore
that pesky list!

Power is slowly being restored, along Windward Beach Road, by crews from
Florida Power and Light. They work very hard each day from dawn to dusk t
and as their work progresses, a few Windward Beach residents are drifting back
home, Isik and Erica Erim, Judy Beck, Ron and Hilary Cole, and Jane Schor
among them. Judy is staying with Jean English, who returned to Sandpiper
Beach at the end of October. Power has not yet been restored at her end of
the road. Le grand and Beryl Curry spent the summer here, as always. They
stayed through the hurricanes, and despite extensive damage to their home,
they're hanging in there with characteristic Bahamian fortitude.

Most sadly of all, there are those whose homes will have no power until they
are totally rebuilt. They include the Braceys, Rayners, Unterbrinks and
Arundels. I can't tell each of you how sorry I am, and how much I look
forward to having you back as our friends and neighbours once more, very,
very soon.

Cynthia and Paul Vernall, Gerry and Helen Shelley, and Brian and Nadine
Sheehe, all of whom suffered considerable damage to their homes along
Brigantine Bay Road, had arrived before us and are still toughing it out.
Cynthia did take a few days R and R from the island last week, but has
returned with sisters, Eileen and Wendy and brother-in-law, Barry, to help
with the cleanup. Dairell and Anna Snapp returned for ther second visit to
right the wrongs at their home, just a couple of days ago. Their neighbours,
John and Kathy Cash had minimal damage, except for the need to replace their
appliances.

I grieve for Hans-Karl and Heide Cappelle whose home on that road burned
down on the evening of November fifth, and for Woody and Nancy McKay, their
neighbours to the west, whose home, having just been restored, was badly
smoke-damaged by the fire.

I have little to report along Ocean Boulevard. I know that Sinclair Frederick
and Barbara Farnan suffered minimal damage. Peter Van de Weil and his son
were here for a week or two to get Toad Hall in order. There are still many
tarpaulins on roofs along that road. I'm so sorry to report that Dave and
Ellie Bailey's house was very badly damaged. Rumour has it that they don't
intend to rebuild it. Dave, Ellie, I hope so very much that the rumour mill
has it wrong, and that your smiling faces will continue to grace us in
Treasure Cay for many years to come.

Our home was among the hardest hit along Sandpiper Beach. Most had minimal
damage. Noel and Sylvia Lister, Buddy and Linda Gerald, Jean English, John
and Norma Rich, Bill and Claire Regan, Frank and Patty Kay, Bill and Betty
Richardson and Nelson and Patty Radwan are among them. I haven't seen John
and Norma, but all the rest are in residence as I write, except the
Richardsons and Radwans, both of whom will be here in mid November.

This has not been a happy report. I hope and pray that my next will bear
nothing but glad tidings.

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