The Tribune

ECLAC Caribbean has dispatched a team of disaster assessment experts to the Bahamas to conduct a weeklong assessment exercise, in the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

In the first instance, during September 24-29, the ECLAC Damage and Loss Assessment (DALA) team will carry out an extensive economic impact assessment on those islands which were affected.

Led by the coordinator of the Sustainable Development and Disaster Unit, Omar Bello, the team will take a close look at the impact of these hurricanes on the Bahamas' health, education, housing, power, telecommunications, transportation, fishing and tourism sectors. The ECLAC team will visit a number of islands affected, including Ragged Island, Acklins, Inagua, Grand Bahama and Bimini. These islands received damage from Hurricane Irma earlier this month.

This assessment exercise is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and is the third such assessment for the Bahamas. ECLAC Caribbean conducted a similar assessment following Hurricane Matthew last year, and Hurricane Joaquin in 2015.

"The mission to the Bahamas will be the first of many DALA missions that will be conducted across the Caribbean on the request of ECLAC member governments, following the devastation wrought by Irma and Maria on numerous islands, including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, St Maarten, Turks and Caicos islands and most recently Dominica, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico," a press released noted.