The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

WITH thousands of hurricane victims having to relocate to Nassau following Hurricane Dorian, the National Insurance Board is working with the Registrar General’s Office to verify lost forms of identification.

This partnership, according to National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle, is a response to the needs of storm victims who might have lost important identification documents during the storm.

Mr Rolle also said yesterday that long waiting periods at NIB have been reduced. He added that NIB, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, also will be helping those in need of unemployment assistance.

“This is a national crisis and we’re treating it as a national crisis and NIB will do its part to make sure that Bahamians and others who contribute to NIB are normalised in the fastest possible time,” he said.

When asked how much in benefits NIB will have to pay out as a result of Dorian, Mr Rolle could not give a specific amount.

However, the public service minister explained that NIB has already fast-tracked pensions and provided other benefits for hurricane victims, who might be in need of money to rebuild their lives.

“This is live information so it’s moving all the time. What we’re ensuring is that we could identify individuals in the first instance and then pay out those benefits directly. Like I said, this is moving. We’re collaborating with the Ministry of Labour on one hand to make sure that unemployment assistance is paid. We’re working with the Registrar General to make sure that persons who have lost their identification can be verified,” he added.

When asked about the security of confidential documents in storm affected islands, Mr Rolle replied that all of the documents at NIB locations in both Abaco and Grand Bahama have been secured.