How the Two Biggest Casualties of the Caribbean Hurricane Season Are Getting Back on Track

Roseau, Dominica // Photo by Freeimages.com/Robert Linder

With about a month left in the Caribbean’s hurricane season, we take a look at Dominica and The Bahamas, the two biggest casualties of this current season, to see how these islands are getting back on track.

Since hurricane season commenced in June, there have been no islands in the Caribbean more affected than the small, eco-lover’s paradise of Dominica and the Out Islands of The Bahamas. 

Although The Bahamas was the only one of the two directly hit by an actual hurricane in the form of Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin, Tropical Storm Erika did enough damage to Dominica to last long after hurricane season ends November 30.

Here’s how each is slowly recovering.

Dominica

During the first week of September, the small island of Dominica was slammed by Tropical Storm Erika. All Seaborne Airlines services into Dominica had been suspended through September 16 as a result of damage inflicted to the airport.

At least 20 people died in flooding and mudslides caused by the storm. In fact, according to a BBC.com report in August, the prime minister of Dominica said his country has been set back 20 years by Erika. 

But things started to look up for Dominica’s tourism product at the end of September when Seaborne Airlines announced it was restarting normal operations to the Island of Dominica. This included resumption of the American Airlines code-shared connecting service from San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport to Douglas Charles International Airport (DOM) in Dominica, on a daily basis, as well as interline connecting service to JetBlue Airways, Delta and United Airlines, also through San Juan. 

Seaborne operated 92 relief flights from August 23 to September 22 into and out of the region, to include 76 flights into and out of Guadeloupe (PTP) and 18 non-passenger flights into and out of Dominica's Canefield Airport (DCF) and Douglas Charles International Airport in conjunction with Ross University. 
  

Many hundreds of medical students, faculty and relief workers were transported during this time, allowing students to start their studies and aiding recovery efforts. During this period, Seaborne Airlines also transported water and other needed relief items to assist with the recovery effort.

Just a few days after the Seaborne announcement, Secret Bay in Dominica welcomed its first guests after Tropical Storm Erika forced it to close. 

To encourage more clients to visit the property, Secret Bay has two special seasonal packages - one for couple and one for families. They both offer six nights for the price five as well as a chance to sample some island highlights. Both of these offers are available for stays from now to December 20. Visit www.secretbay.dm. 

Dominica got some more positive tourism-related news the first week of October when Discover Dominica Authority, in collaboration with the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, announced that a number of Dominica’s hiking trails had re-opened.

Seven segments of the Waitukubuli National Trail, the Caribbean’s longest walking trail, are ready to welcome the adventurous hiker. Some trails were closed after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika, which caused obstructions and infrastructural damage. 

The Forestry Division has worked to ensure that trails are accessible. Segments Three, Four, Six, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen and Fourteen, totalling nearly 50 miles, are open to hikers. Trail users are advised to exercise caution when hiking the open segments of the trail as some landscape features may have changed.
 
Other popular attractions which involve some level of hiking are now accessible and operational. They include: Trafalgar Falls, Emerald Pool, L’Escalier Tete Chien, Middleham Falls, Freshwater Lake, Cabrits National Park and Syndicate Nature Trail.  

In mid-October, Minister for Tourism and Urban Renewal Robert Tonge announced that the island was again open for business with roughly 80 percent of its hotels open. 

Dominica also got some more positive hotel news this week as Hilton Worldwide announced that the Tranquility Beach Resort Dominica will join Curio – A Collection by Hilton, Hilton's boutique hotel brand. The Tranquility Beach Resort Dominica, Curio Collection by Hilton, is expected to open in 2018. Visit www.curio.com.

The Out Islands of The Bahamas

Tropical Storm Erika also ruined a few vacations in The Bahamas but the storm didn't cause nearly the amount of damage in The Bahamas that it did in Dominica. The real culprit for The Bahamas was Hurricane Joaquin, which crushed the southern islands of San Salvador, Cat Island and Rum Cay, as well as Long Island, which has also seen its fair share of destruction.

Hurricane Joaquin made landfall in The Bahamas on October 3 and left a path of destruction in its wake. Several people died and many were reported missing. The Prime Minister of The Bahamas Perry Christie said at the time that the recovery effort would undoubtedly be a long one.

In the first week of October, The Sandals Foundation, the non-profit arm of Sandals Resorts International, announced the launch of The Bahamas Relief Campaign to raise money for the islands most affected by Joaquin. 

The Bahamas Relief Campaign has seen many donations so far, which include both cash and in-kind support for the recovery team. Monetary donations are being managed through the foundation’s online portal at sandalsfoundation.org and are also being accepted on-site at all Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts.

“Hurricane Joaquin has affected the people of The Bahamas in a way that most of us simply cannot imagine," said Adam Stewart, president of the Sandals Foundation and CEO of Sandals Resorts International, in a written statement. "With little to no notice to prepare, Joaquin tragically left locals with nothing, some even losing their lives. The Bahamas is close to our hearts, both on a personal and professional level, and we must rally to give them all the help we can to get them back on their feet as quickly as possible. Currently, the destination is suffering from a lack of sanitary drinking water, so our efforts are particularly focused on acquiring this resource for those areas worst affected.”

That same week, hotels in The Bahamas began rolling out news releases to let the travel industry know whether they were affected or not. Bahamian Out Island favorite Abaco Beach Resort and Boat Harbour Marina was the first to reassure clients that the property was fully operational and open for business as usual. This week, Nassau’s Breezes Resort & Spa – Bahamas also announced that it remained untouched.

“We experienced some light showers during the hurricane last week but thankfully, the northern part of The Bahamas was spared the full force of the storm. We are happy to report that all is well at the hotel and on the island of Abaco,” Brent Ingraham, director of sales and marketing for Abaco, said at the time.

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