By
Yakosu Umana
September 2019
John Jr
Polycarpe knew his home was on the brink of a hurricane before he left for
school, He did not expect a life-changing outcome.
The 21-year-old
Holland College student came to P.E.I. on Aug. 28 for his first year in the Sport
and Leisure program.
Three
days later, Hurricane Dorian made landfall at the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.
Polycarpe
lived in the Abacos all his life with his family. Now, he’s lost his home and
has to deal with the death of a few friends.
Hurricane
Dorian is tied with the 1935 Labor day hurricane as the strongest Hurricane to
make landfall on the Atlantic coast
The
damage was unexpected and devastating, he said.
“My
whole neigbourhood is underwater. Basically the whole of Abacos is gone.”
His
friends sent pictures of the damage it caused there. The hurricane ripped apart
the bar section of the restaurant he worked at.
Fortunately
for Polycarpe, his parents and most of his family weren’t hurt during the
hurricane and have moved to Florida for the meantime.
Rebuilding
the Abaco Islands would take a long time, he said.
“About
seven, six years. Might be a little more.”
The
Bahamas often experience hurricanes, although Dorian was the worst
Hurricane
Dorian recently made landfall on PEI, although it’s impact was far less
devastating with speeds of 100 m.p.h compared to 185 m.p.h.
It
wasn’t a big deal, Polycarpe said.
“To me
it was like a rough tropical weather.”The Cornwall Cornerstone Baptist Church plans to hold a special service for
Bahamian students in PEI.
Another Bahamian
student at Holland College, Malik Andrews plans to attend the church service.
The
18-year-old is from Freeport, Bahamas, where the damage was less severe than
the Abaco Islands.
His
family is safe and the damage wasn’t bad, he said.
“Our house
got damaged a bit, family moved to Florida.”
The last
time Andrews went home was April, now he may not see home for a while, he said.
“It will
probably take a year or so to rebuild.”
Holland
College held a free counseling and welcome session with refreshments for
Bahamian students last week.
The
estimated damage of the hurricane on the Bahamas is about $7 billion US
dollars. That is approximately $9.2 billion in Canadian dollars.
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