RADIO ABACO NEWS
Motorcyclist Hurt: Motorcyclist Shawn Francis was seriously injured when he was hit by a truck turning into Abaco Hardware parking lot in Marsh Harbour on 20th May. Francis was thrown onto the hood of another truck before hitting the ground. He suffered broken arms and legs and was taken by Trauma One to the government clinic and then by emergency flight to Princess Margaret Hospital, Nassau. A week after the accident Francis was reported in stable condition.
Fire in Pigeon Pea: A raging fire razed a two acre section of the Haitian community of Pigeon Pea in Marsh Harbour on 28th May. The fire started shortly after 5 pm at a dwelling in the middle of the block, which extended from Sawyer’s Market to Abaco Hardware. Fire fighters of the Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire Department had difficulties approaching the fire due to chain link fences separating Pigeon Pea from business houses. There was also low water pressure. As the fire spread, occupants of the area jumped from roof to roof getting as much of their belongings as they could before the fire destroyed their dwellings. Exploding liquid propane gas tanks could be heard as the fire raged out of control. An attempt was made to make a fire break by tearing down some dwellings in the path of the fire but this proved unsuccessful. Attention was then paid by the fire fighters to warehouses that were endangered. An estimated 71 dwellings were destroyed.
Disaster Team Moves Quickly: Over 200 were left homeless after the Pigeon Pea fire, 62 of them children. The Central Abaco Disaster Committee met at the court room while the fire was raging and then moved to the Resource Centre which is near to Pigeon Pea. The committee, along with government officials, the Red Cross and various churches made arrangements for temporary shelter. Many of the homeless stayed at St Francis de Sales Church in Marsh Harbour. The Department of Social Services issued food tickets during the next few days and an account (No. 1102110) was opened at the Royal Bank of Canada to receive donations to aid the fire victims. Senior Island Administrator Alexander Williams told the Haitian community via the Radio Abaco airwaves that the sole intention of government was to assist them. “We are doing everything possible to help them on a humanitarian basis,” he said.
Students Honoured: 95 students from all points of Abaco were honoured for excellence in academics and athletics before a packed audience at New Vision Church in Marsh Harbour on 29th May. Top students were Amanda Sawyer of Forest Heights Academy with a GPA of 4.0 and Keith Walker of Long Bay School for a combination of athletic prowess and high GPA score. Senator T Ricardo Whylly addressed the students and parents and encouraged local businesses to take part in the next award ceremony. The event was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Abaco and the Pilot Club of Abaco and arranged locally by Tony Davis of Burns House and teachers Neulissa Major and Philippa Farrington.
Prime Minister Visits Pigeon Pea: Prime Minister Hon Perry Christie led a delegation from Nassau on 31st May to see first hand the damage caused by the Pigeon Pea fire and to speak with both Haitians and Bahamians on the issue of the illegal settlements in Pigeon Pea and The Mud. With the prime minister were Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe and Haitian Consulate Louis Joseph. Addressing residents of Pigeon Pea, the prime minister said that the Haitian problem would be dealt with and major decisions would be made. He later met with community leaders at the court room in Marsh Harbour.
Boating Fatality: A visiting yachtsman died on 31st May when his inflatable dinghy was hit by a Boston whaler just off Green Turtle Cay. William Lee Todd, 51, of Ormond Beach, Florida was returning to the vessel Sponge Cake around 9 pm after spending some time watching TV at Sundowners. Another inflatable dinghy was ahead of him and the occupants heard the approaching skiff and the collision. Both Todd and 16 year old Emerson McIntosh, the occupant of the skiff, were thrown into the water. The people in the first rubber dinghy turned back to rescue Todd but he had suffered fatal head trauma. It is not known whether the boats involved had regulation lights. Police are investigating.
Not the Time: Minister of Housing Hon Shane Gibson, Minister of Social Services and Community Development Hon Melanie Griffin, and Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson toured the Haitian communities of Pigeon Pea and The Mud on 3rd June and later spoke with community leaders and members of the Christian Council. They were asked where the dispossessed Pigeon Pea would be moved to and when, and what provisions were being made in the meantime. During the meeting it was revealed that Marsh Harbour probably had a Haitian population of 5,000, a much larger figure than had previously been posited. Young Haitians felt disenfranchised, discriminated against in the job market and harassed by police. Minister Gibson asked that the problems of youth be addressed at another time as it was most important to deal with the long time residents who were now homeless. Minister Griffin noted that living conditions in certain areas of Bain Town, Nassau, were similar to those in The Mud and Pigeon Pea.
Excursion Fracas: Holiday weekend excursions to Sandy Point by people from Nassau and Freeport are noted for their friendly, convivial atmosphere and sense of fellowship. Not so on 6th June when a fight broke out close to 11 pm after a man had a drink spilled on him. Beer bottles were sent flying and sharp weapons were produced. Police officer Vincent Forbes tried to intervene but was stabbed in the back. Gino Russell of Crossing Rocks also received stab wounds to his hand and back. Both men were flown to Nassau and treated at Princess Margaret Hospital. They were both discharged a few days later. The police have four young men in custody.