RSOE EDIS - Situation Update No. 1 : The Bahamas - Tornado

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

Situation Update No. 1 Posted:2010-03-29, 18:22:35 [UTC] Ref.no.: TO-20100329-25510-BHS Situation Update No. 1 On 2010-03-30 at 03:10:48 [UTC] Event: Tornado Location: The Bahamas Grand Bahama Lucaya Number of Deads: 3 person(s) Number of Injured: 4 person(s) Situation: An apparent tornado touched down during a fierce thunderstorm in the Bahamas on Monday and toppled a port crane, killing at least three people and injuring four. The crane collapsed at the Freeport Container Port on the western side of Grand Bahama, where trees were uprooted and windows blasted out of hotels as at least one tornado cut a destructive path on the island about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Florida. Two people were inside the crane when it fell and both died, said Capt. Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency. Russell said a third person was also killed and four were injured at the port, but he had no details. A port spokeswoman declined comment. Hurricanes are common in the Bahamas but tornadoes are relatively rare. Pat Butler, a forecaster with the Bahamas Meteorology Department, said they occur about once every three years in the island chain. Butler said weather authorities were still evaluating the reports and had not confirmed that Monday's event was in fact a tornado. Damage on Grand Bahama appeared to be greatest in and around Port Lucaya and Freeport, with witnesses reporting many uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs and cars. Several guests at the Island Seas Resort were taken to the hospital with minor scrapes from debris but none were seriously injured, said Hubert Gibson, the hotel's activity director. "Everybody's OK. Everybody's in good shape. It just caught us off guard," he said. Racquell Harvey, who works at the Port Lucaya Marina, said five boats were damaged as they seesawed in their berths while the storm whipped up white-crested waves around noon. Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu