Lots of improvement in terms of clean-up efforts and restoring services over the past few days but there are still challenging times ahead in some areas in terms of restoring power, and making repairs.

With the exception of North Andros, and a few other Andros locations, parts of Nassau and parts of Grand Bahama, everyone is reporting they will be back to normal business and fishing this week. Lodges like Stella Maris that close for the off-season, are reopening on schedule, October 17. If you have plans to visit North Andros, Nassau or Grand Bahama, you should talk directly to your hotel, lodge, or guides to find out how they plan to operate over the next month.

Swain's Lodge on Mangrove Cay, Andros, report all is good, clean-up almost complete and they are open for business. In fact, they have a post-hurricane special for anglers who visit in the next month. Great fishing from this location, including wading in front of the lodge.

Andy and Sharon Smith report they are fine, and that their lodge, Broad Shad Cay Lodge, is in good shape. They have a generator at the lodge so power is not an issue, but where they live in Cargill Creek, Central Andros, is still without power, and this could last another two weeks as the power station was severely damaged. This also effects other lodges in the area like Big Charlie's, Two Boys Inn, Tranquility Hill, Andros Island Bonefish Club, and others. These lodges plan to operate in the next couple of weeks, but if you are going you should be in touch with them directly to see the situation with power.

Good news from H20 Bonefishing, Greg Vincent, in Freeport, on Grand Bahama. Greg reports no damage to their boats or fishing equipment. Accommodations at Pelican Bay are still without power, but clean-up is going well, and power should be restored in the next week or so. Greg is being cautious however, and for benefit of giving the best guest experience, he will be waiting until November 1, to open H20 Bonefishing operations for the season. This is a great fishing program, one of our favorites, so please be in touch to make your reservations for the coming season.

Deepwater Cay Club and North Riding Point, also on Grand Bahama, report they came through the storm just fine, minor damage that is being repaired, clean-up underway and they will also be open for business by the end of October. For more information, or to book either of these two outstanding lodges, please drop up an email.

OK, we're getting a much better picture of the hurricane damage now that we've been able to communicate with many of our Bahamian friends, many of whom are without electricity, water, and most communications systems as many cell phone towers have been destroyed and or severely damaged.

First, on Great Inagua the damage is worse than we first heard. Heavy rain and 12-foot storm surges flooded the south side of the island and damaged or destroyed a number of boats, and damaged seawalls. Lots of downed trees, electrical lines, and roof damage, but as far as we know, no one was killed. Clean-up is under way but will take some weeks to be back to normal.

The worst news in on North Andros, Nassau/New Providence and Grand Bahama. First, North Andros took a direct hit with ripping winds and storm surges that resulted in major damage, and at least one fatality. “The sea came one and a half miles inland, resulting in extensive flooding from Morgan’s Bluff Marina all the way into Pineville, and from Lowe Sound Harbour into Fire Road,” said Ivan Ferguson, senior deputy administrator of Nicholl’s Town, North Andros. He added that the BTC tower was completely destroyed in the storm, cutting off all telephone communications. Volunteers in heavy trucks were out trying to clear large trees that were blocking the roads. Potable water and electrical infrastructure were also impacted. San Andros Airport is closed as is Fresh Creek/Andros Town Airport in Central Andros. Friends on North Andros say they are lucky to be alive, and that the area is a disaster. Stafford Creek Lodge was also seriously damaged with the dock washed away and flooding from the storm waves and tidal surges, plus wind damage to roofs and buildings.
Central Andros was not as badly hit though they sustained major damage. BEC power plant in Fresh Creek was blasted and it will take a while to restore power. Airport hopes to reopen in a day or two. Downed trees are everywhere but clean-up has started with heavy equipment being donated by the owners. Further south in Behring Point and Cargill Creek, our friends Charlie and Fatiah Neymour, Big Charlie's Lodge, report that they're all fine, and that their lodge is fine, but that the storm was terrifying, worst they've seen. Going south, damage was less severe in Mangrove Cay and in South Andros around Kemp's Bay mainly because the storm surge was not so severe. Still lots of clean-up to do, areas to restore power, but overall most businesses and fishing lodges in Central to South Andros expect to be back in operation in the near future.

No report from Berry Islands, which is a big concern as it's all low-lying and the Berry's are very close to North Andros. No report from Bimini either.

The south and east sides of Nassau is also a disaster, with 3 to 5 foot storm surges smashing into homes and buildings. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from their homes, but no reported fatalities. It will take at least a week to restore power and make a dent in the mess left behind by flooding, but we expect it to be a month or more before things in these areas return to a semblance of normal. Across the island on Paradise Island, the Rui Hotel suffered lots of external damage, but it supposed to reopen soon. Atlantis is operating with a full staff and minor damage is being repaired. Nassau International Airport is schedule to reopen tomorrow, Sunday, but our advise would be to avoid travel to Nassau for at least a week to give the people and government a chance to restore services and do their clean-up. And really, waiting two weeks would be even better for your vacation experience.

On Grand Bahama, another disaster, especially in areas like Eight Mile Rock and Holmes Rock. Eight Mile Rock is west of Freeport on the south side of the island, home to beautiful beaches and good bonefishing flats, and here 95% of the homes and buildings have suffered major damage, with roofs blown off by winds up to 140 mph. Plus the storm surge was huge, bringing waves crashing onshore and flooding inland. People we talked too were all afraid for their lives, and one person who was in Acklins last year after Joaquin, the hurricane that devastated that island, said he thought this was worse. Power is still out on most of the island but the biggest problem is potable water, which the government is making its first priority. Freeport Airport suffered only minor damage, but debris is everywhere and it remains closed. We don't have a report yet from H20 Bonefishing but hoping to hear from them soon. East End Lodge and Deepwater Cay report that they came through OK, with lots of trees and debris and beach erosion but the lodges are fine. On the West End, Old Bahama Bay reports that all the staff and people are safe though they have significant damage to the area. The private airstrip is open for emergencies and the receiving of supplies, as is the marina.

No report from Ragged Island but it was in the path of Matthew so hope people came through OK there. South Eluthera suffered big storm surges, flooding, wind damage, and power is still out, but clean-up is under way. North Eluthera, including Harbour Island, fared better, with Valentine's Marina on Harbour Island reporting no major damage, clean-up under way, and they are looking forward to greeting new guests this coming week.

As mentioned yesterday, Crooked, Acklins and Long Island, badly damaged last year by Joaquin, came through Matthew in pretty good shape; no major damage reported, and all lodges expect to be open this coming week. Stella Maris reports that power and phone service are working, Bahamasair is scheduled to fly to Deadman's Cay again starting tomorrow, and Stella will be opening for the season on time, October 17.

Reports we have from Abaco are that they came through well, will some flooding and wind damage, but clean-up under way. Black Fly Lodge reports everyone safe there and they'll be open for business as usual this fall.

The government of the Bahamas has declared the all clear with Hurricane Matthew's passing but now the serious clean-up and damage repair begins, especially for Nassau/New Providence, Andros, and Grand Bahama.

Nassau International airport is closed today, Friday Oct. 7, but they are working to have it open by tomorrow. Atlantis Resort, largest resort in the Bahamas, located on Paradise Island, has all workers returning to a normal schedule today. The Beach Tower is closed, however, due to generator failure. Overall, it will take several days, at least, to have all power restored on New Providence Island. The south side of the island was hit particularly hard with the storm surge, with lots of people not able to return to their homes in that part of the island. Downed trees and power lines need clearing and repairs all over New Providence. From a tourism standpoint, it should take at least a week before things get more or less back to normal, but even then parts of the island will need ongoing work and repairs, and some services will be lacking.

We still haven't had any definitive reports from our many friends on Andros, so trying to be in touch with a number of them today. Will update when we know more, but Andros was hit very hard by the hurricane, with winds and big storm surges.

Grand Bahama and Freeport also took a direct hit, with storm surges on south side of the island doing a lot of damage. Freeport Airport is closed today, looking to reopen as soon as possible, but situation is similar to New Providence with lots of water damage, trees and power lines down, roofs blown off of houses and businesses. If you have travel plans to Grand Bahama any time in the next week, you should probably reconsider, but if you go, be aware that many services will be lacking, and people will be in the middle of clean-up and repairs.

On the positive side, most of the southern Bahamas escaped the storm without too much damage. Inagua, Mayaguana, Crooked and Acklins, Long Island, the Exumas are all reporting only minor damage, with clean-up work in progress, and normal tourism operations should begin again this coming week. Southern Eluthera suffered storm surge damage and flooding, but reports are hopeful that things can return to normal in a week or so. Northern Eluthera and Abaco, overall came through well, with some wind and water damage but tourist operations are expected to continue this coming week.

Hurricane Matthew is hitting Nassau today with full force hurricane winds and large storm surges, the first direct hit on this island since 1929. Trees and power lines are down all over the island, and it is dangerous to be out. South side of the island, and south side of most islands throughout the Bahamas are most dangerous areas especially due to storm surges. The Bahamian government has put a controlled shut down of electricity into effect on Nassau to prevent dangerous blow-outs and to preserve the power infrastructure. Resort hotels are on generator power today.

New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama airports are closed until further notice. Cruise ships are also altering their routes and itineraries due to the hurricane. Grand Bahama is also being hit and residents in West End, outlying settlements along the southern coast and in East Grand Bahama, are urged to evacuate.

Andros Island is also taking a serious hit, and we are waiting to here from friends on the conditions there. The storm has already passed over Great Inagua, and reports from Matthew Town are that they suffered some flooding but otherwise no major damage. More soon....