'He's alive and well': Moncton woman hears from husband in Bahamas
It was the voice Bovena Tucker had been waiting to hear for three weeks after losing contact with her family in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian.
Her husband, Arnold Cherie, made contact late Friday night, letting her know he and three adult children were safe in a shelter.
"Getting the phone call is like a miracle from my husband," said Tucker, barely able to contain her emotions as she spoke.
"I couldn't wait to hear from him because I thought he was … I thought something was wrong, like he die or something wrong, bad, happened to them. I was out of mind before I hear from him."
Tucker had last spoken to Cherie on Aug. 31, the day before Dorian hit the Bahamas.
The Bahamas was left devastated by Hurricane Dorian after being battered for three days. It pulverized homes and beached boats.
"When I hear him it was like joyful and my kids are so happy that their daddy's alive and well."
Tucker said she had been receiving calls the last couple of weeks that showed as an unknown number on her cell phone. When she would answer, there was no one there.
It turns out it was Cherie trying to reach her but the call was not being connected.
"He called me 10:30 last night and that was amazing to hear his mouth breathing and he's not dead. He's alive and well."
The couple spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes Tucker said.
"He talked to his kids, he was just crying. We were just crying, happy, tears of happy, tears of joy, just crying tears of joy. We can't wait to see him."
Tucker said Cherie and her three adult children, Dwayne Robinson, Christiano Gayl and Shankell Robinson are safe in a shelter. Their home in Freeport was destroyed.
Tucker said she brought three of her children to Canada after her family was twice the target of gang violence. The plan is for her husband and the three eldest kids to eventually follow if a refugee claim is successful.
She said that is even more important now that they have nothing left there.
The death toll in the Bahamas from Hurricane Dorian stands at 50, but 1,300 people are listed as missing. Officials have cautioned that this is a preliminary list.
