The Tribune

By CAREY LEONARD

Former GBPA counsel

What happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian makes it imperative that the Government of The Bahamas makes a compulsory acquisition of The Grand Bahama Port Authority.

In my opinion, inaction has been the hallmark of the Port Authority since Dorian. Instead of doing its job as a "regulator/city manager", it has been busy issuing press statements in which it shamelessly tries to take credit for bringing the various rescue and reconstruction non-profit organisations to Freeport.

In addition, the Port Authority is trying to give the impression it is deeply involved with local companies such as Grand Bahama Shipyard, BIT and GB Power who, immediately after the storm, started to work together to restore power to the island. These and other industrial companies, such as PharmaChem, then went to the rescue of a woefully under-prepared GB Utility Company to ensure water was restored.

The Port Authority talks about partnering with all of the above to get the island back up and running. All this was nothing more than the Port Authority trying to acquire the look of efficiency, piggy-backing on the hard-work and diligent efforts of those who reacted quickly and methodically, laying out a well-regulated system of recovery that was not demonstrated by the Port Authority.

Thousands of homes were severely impacted by flood water. Within the first five days following Dorian's passage, the Port Authority should have had a team of specialists on the ground visiting the flooded neighbourhoods, going door-to-door and explaining to the owners exactly what steps they needed to take in order to make their houses ready for occupancy inspection. Such people should have been sourced from the US, where they have dealt with hurricane flooding such as New Orleans experienced with Hurricane Katrina.

The list of steps to be taken is extensive but includes:

• What needs to be done first if you are insured, pictures and leaving carpeting outside so that the adjusters can see the damage for themselves.

• Flooded carpets and rugs are best replaced since flood water may contain contaminants. Flooded carpet pads should always be discarded and replaced.

• Remove water-logged rugs, carpets and pads within 48 hours after flooding subsides.

• All upholstered furniture and mattresses contaminated by flood water should be discarded. If an upholstered furniture piece is valuable, the stuffing and upholstering will need to be replaced. Solid wood, metal and plastic furniture may be cleaned and restored. Hose off any mud, clean, sanitise and let dry completely out of direct sunlight.

• Aggressively control mold in the weeks and months after the flood.

• In an non-air conditioned home, open windows and use fans to circulate air.

• Turn on electric lights in closets, and leave doors open to facilitate drying.

• Try to reduce activities that add moisture to the indoor air, and use exhaust fans when cooking and bathing.

• One-half cup of household chlorine bleach to a gallon of water can be used on non-metallic, colorfast surfaces as a disinfectant (to kill surface mold and bacteria) after cleaning, but it will not prevent new mold growth on materials that stay damp.

• Dry thoroughly and quickly. If the utilities are on, use the air conditioning or heater, fans, and a dehumidifier or desiccants to speed drying.

There are many other useful pieces of information for flood-affected homeowners.

It should have been clear that, considering the extent of the flooding, the Port Authority's local staff would never be able to keep up even if they worked 24 hours a day seven days a week. The Port Authority did nothing, even though it is the city manager and is duty-bound to provide these services to the public.

Today, three weeks later, people have yet to be advised what is required. Where are the 20 or 30 additional qualified personnel that the Port Authority should have brought in to advise these owners?

Most owners have done the best they can based on what they either know or have been told by friends. Many are still waiting for electricians to come and see if what the owner has done is correct, and that they can be hooked back up to the power supply GB Power has already restored to the area.

Indeed, the efficiency of GB Power is in stark contrast to the inefficiency of the Port Authority. GB Power's importation of additional crews, and a massive effort to bring in a large number of badly-needed vehicles (they had lost their entire fleet to the flood), enabled them to quickly restore power to thousands of customers and make supply available to those who are still waiting for the Port Authority.

The Hawksbill Creek Agreement says:

"(10) Cause all buildings and structures erected within the Port Area, and all machinery and apparatus installed in or about any such buildings and structures to be so built, installed and maintained so as to provide properly for the health and safety of employees and the general public, and for good public sanitation within the Port Area."

In my view those in charge of the Port Authority have clearly neglected to do their job. Unlike GB Power, the Port Authority, like a deer caught in the headlights, did nothing.

Then there is the question of the water company, GB Utility, a company controlled by the same owners as the Port Authority and a company that comes under the regulation of the Port Authority.

Water is even more important than power, and yet the Port Authority, as regulator, has failed to take any steps to ensure that the supply of water is not disrupted. And, if it is, that it is kept to a minimum.

It is important to remember that the Port Authority is responsible for the health and safety of all residents in the Port Area. The Hawksbill Creek Agreement is the document that sets out the responsibilities of the Port Authority, and it says:

"(7) If and when the Port Authority construct and operate any utilities within the Port area, construct the same in a good, proper and workmanlike manner having due regard for the safety of persons working and/or residing with the Port area, and after construction operate the same in accordance with good operating practice and in a fit and proper manner having due regard for the safety of persons working and/or residing with the Port area."

GB Utility has not yet taken any action, and has not been made by the Port Authority, its regulator, to deal with the effects of hurricanes. GB Utility has had 15 years to get it right, and the regulator has had 15 years to make GB Utility get it right. Following Hurricane Frances in 2004 it was well over a week before they got the water flowing. They said that they had to wait for GB Power to restore power all the way across the Lucayan Water way, and past what is now the University of The Bahamas, in order to pump water.

After Hurricane Matthew they again had to wait for assistance from GB Power. Two excuses were given. First was that although they had installed a generator, they had run the electricity to the pumps by overhead lines and they got blown down. What else did they expect would happen to overhead wires exposed to hurricane force winds? Why did the regulator not ensure that they had provided the power by waterproof underground lines, as has been done in some of the subdivisions? The second excuse was that the generator they installed was not big enough to power up enough wells to supply the public. Why did the Port Authority not require them to deal with this?

Dorian comes along, and for a third time the public was left without potable water. Yes, the wellfields may have been flooded, but they had been flooded in Frances as well. The difference this time was the overwhelming flooding and salt contamination of the wellfields. Many thanks to the Rotary clubs and Polymers for all the drinking water they supplied, and continue to supply.

This time the public was made to wait ten long days before the water began to run. Three weeks later we still have heavy salt content. The Port Authority, the regulator and city manager, has yet to tell the public what it is doing to reduce the salt content or when the water will no longer have to be boiled.

• Who (experts) have the Port Authority brought in to test the water?

• What are the experts' findings?

• What is their advice?

It is the duty of the Port Authority to tell us these things. It is their duty because they are responsible for the health and safety of the employees and general public of the Port area.

To rub salt into the wounds of Freeport businesses, the Port Authority's very own licensees and the ones who pay the Port Authority business license fees every year, after three weeks of struggling on their own the Port Authority sent out a team to visit those businesses to ask if they needed anything. The businesses are open, all the heavy lifting has been done by those businesses without any assistance from the Port Authority, and now they ask if anything is needed.

The Port Authority should have been there the very next day after the storm, not three weeks later. It begs the question: "What do they do all day in the Pink Building?" And: "Is anybody home?" The effectiveness of other companies, most notably GB Power with the co-ordinated assistance of the already-mentioned industrial companies (GB Shipyard, Bahamas IT, PharmaChem, Polymers and QSL, shows what proper management is able to achieve when the going gets tough.

As the current ownership and management has clearly run down the value of the Port Authority a compulsory acquisition (meaning that the owners must be paid fair value for the company) by the government should not cost the country that much. And the same, if run properly, could prove to be extremely beneficial and profitable to the entire country.

It is clear that a change is needed. Imagine if the Port Authority was run by a company that could quickly adjust to a crisis such as Emera did with GB Power.