The Tribune

The Bahamas must “rethink” every aspect of its infrastructure and planning regulations following Hurricane Dorian’s devastating $3.4bn impact, a government minister said yesterday.

Iram Lewis, minister of state for disaster preparedness, management and reconstruction, said the government was continuing to strengthen national disaster management mechanisms in the category five storm’s aftermath.

He spoke at a workshop on disaster recovery policies and planning. The event followed a meeting involving University of the West Indies (UWI) consultants, Dr Asad Mohammed and Evangeline Inniss-Springer, and Bahamian officials from January 13-18.

This was designed to support the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) work on post-Dorian recovery. Facilitating the workshop were the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management & Reconstruction, the UNDP and UWI.

“With the assistance of its partners, the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction will review policies and strategies against regional and international standards, and develop appropriate institutional arrangements that will address national and regional planning and support,” Mr Lewis said.

“We have to update and improve our laws, policies, procedures and state agencies for these times. We must rethink where we put infrastructure. We must rethink how close our communities are to the coast.”

Mr Lewis recalled that Hurricane Dorian, with its maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, was tied with the 1935 Labour Day hurricane that hit the Florida Keys as the strongest storm to make landfall in the Atlantic and, specifically, The Bahamas.

With gusts of 220 miles per hour, and a 20-plus-foot storm surge, Dorian destroyed homes, businesses and communities. “The Government of The Bahamas knew right away that no small island developing state could respond alone to a storm like Dorian,” Mr Lewis said.

“We welcomed assistance from partner countries, international NGOs, churches, businesses, multilateral institutions and individuals. That combined effort continues to this day to help those who lost so much.”

He added that the Government also realised that the historic scope of Dorian’s destruction required new state structures. It established the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction among its first responses.

An Act of Parliament also created the Bahamas Disaster Reconstruction Authority to manage restoration in the Dorian disaster zones. While the Authority is focused on leading reconstruction in these areas, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is focused on preparation for - and mitigation against - potential future disasters.