WILMA CONTINUES ON

As they emerged from their homes late on the morning of the 24th to survey the damage, most Florida residents probably thought that Wilma was safely out to sea. Unfortunately, the Bahamas were now directly in its path. After its rapid trip across Florida, Wilma moved into the Atlantic as a Category 2 hurricane. Over the course of a few hours, however, it regained Category 3 status and approached the Bahamas with winds of nearly 100 knots.

Grand Bahama, located approximately sixty-five miles east of Florida, experienced the most destructive hurricane that island residents could recall.  As Wilma made landfall late in the afternoon of the 24th, it delivered a twelve foot storm surge that would be referred to as the "Bahamian Tsunami". The storm surge hit remote fishing villages particularly hard and rendered nearly a thousand people homeless. It is remarkable that a young child was the only death caused by the flooding.

Destruction on Grand Bahama Island caused by the storm surge generated by Hurricane Wilma on October 24, 2005. Photos from Blake de Pastino of the The National Geographic.

Most of the island's residents do not have insurance and with unemployment on the rise, recovering from the "Bahamian Tsunami" will be a slow, painful process. Some who lost homes to Hurricane Frances in September 2004 are still waiting for their homes to be repaired or rebuilt.

Following its brush with the Bahamas, Wilma moved rapidly to the northeast and lost hurricane status on October 25, approximately 200 miles south of Nova Scotia.