NASSAU, Bahamas - "Hundreds of Bahamians remained in storm shelters this week after Hurricane Frances swatted the Caribbean island chain with winds in excess of 105 mph (170 kph).
Standing ankle-deep in water outside her home, 70-year-old Grand Bahama island resident Rowena Saunders spoke for many.
"We lost every single thing," she said. "We couldn't save anything at all. All my china, furniture - everything is just gone."
Prime Minister Perry Christie toured the storm-wrecked community of West End, Grand Bahama, on Monday and said residents in the second largest community in the 700-island nation were in a state of "utter dismay and shock." Vast areas of Grand Bahama - the island hardest-hit by Frances - remain under several feet of water and insurers fear what one agent described as "astronomical" claims.
"The damage in West End we could not even have imagined," said Christie. "We've seen this kind of damage after major events around the world, but on the road bordering the sea every building has been virtually destroyed."
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