Since The Bahamas' existence, tropical storms and hurricanes have always posed an enormous threat. As an archipelagic nation containing a chain of islands surrounded by some of the warmest waters in the Caribbean region, it is no wonder that an 'active' hurricane season is always forecasted.

Even though an active season was projected for 2007, there was very little activity, which caused many Bahamians, especially those in Grand Bahama, to breathe a sigh of relief. Now it seems as though the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season will go down as one of the busiest seasons ever.

There is almost two and half months left before this troubling season ends and we are already half-way through the list of 21 named storms for 2008. With this amount of time left, there is still no telling how many more storms will form in the Atlantic Ocean. One thing is for sure, in all of this, no matter which year or what time within the season, they will always keep coming.

Last week Tropical Storm Hanna unleashed her fury on the south eastern part of The Bahamas causing many to be concerned about flooding and structural damages to their homes and businesses. Islands affected included Mayaguana, Inagua, Acklins, Crooked Island, San Salvador, Cat Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island and Abaco.

Right on the heels of Hanna is Hurricane Ike, which is now a big concern because the majority of southern islands that were impacted by Hanna are now having to go through it all again as they are also included in it's projected path.

Hanna and Ike now join other tropical storms and hurricanes that affected the southern part of The Bahamas in the past. They include Hurricane Donna – a small, but extremely powerful storm that moved westward through The Bahamas passing near Mayaguana, Acklins and directly over Ragged Island in 1960.

In 1981, there was Tropical Storm Gert, which passed over Mayaguana and near Crooked Island and San Salvador. The next storm affecting this area was Hurricane Erin, which moved up the island chain dumping heavy wind and rain on Mayaguana, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Island, Cat Island, Eleuthera, the southern tip of Abaco and Grand Bahama in 1995.

The storm which has gone down in Bahamian history as the only one that 'doubled back' was Hurricane Betsy, which caused severe flooding in Eleuthera and Abaco in 1965. Other storms affecting the country over the years were Hurricane David in 1979, Tropical Storm Isidore in 1984, Hurricane Kate in 1985, Tropical Storm Fabian in 1991, Hurricane Lily in 1996, Hurricane George in 1998, Hurricane Inez in 1998, Hurricane Dennis in 1999, Hurricane Floyd in 1999, Tropical Storm Harvey in 1999 and Tropical Storm Irene in 1999.

However, there have been hurricanes that have had such a huge impact on The Bahamas that many citizens cringe whenever they think about the untold damage that was left behind.

Such storms include Hurricane Andrew which passed over Eleuthera, the Berry Islands and South Bimini in 1992. Recorded as one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit this nation, Andrew caused severe flooding and property damage, and four deaths were reported, but only two were directly attributed to this storm.

Other devastating storms of late include Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma, which left a number of Grand Bahama residents homeless and others with the task of trying to pick up the broken pieces of their lives. Today, a number of them are still trying to cope with the losses that took place back then.

Meanwhile, it is so good to know that the Government of The Bahamas is taking hurricane preparedness plans seriously. On Friday, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham told the nation that with Hurricane Ike being a 'very serious' storm, the Bahamas' Na-tional Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was full speed ahead in carrying out those plans.

Now that Ike is pounding upon those southern islands again, one can only hope the damages done are not too great, and then wait and see how soon these islands can bounce back.