The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE lists show that 279 people are still missing after Hurricane Dorian, according to National Security Minister Marvin Dames.

Mr Dames revealed the number yesterday in a statement blasting former Health Minister Duane Sands for comments he made last week criticising the government’s handling of the search for those listed as missing in Hurricane Dorian.

The number given by Mr Dames yesterday is at odds with other figures given out over recent months. On October 9, 2019 Mr Dames told The Tribune 282 people were missing.

On January 14, 2020, the-then commissioner of police Anthony Ferguson said missing person reports were filed for 54 people and last month during a Disaster Recovery Authority press conference Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash said missing person reports were filed for 33 people.

Police and government officials did not explain the discrepancies when contacted yesterday.

In the national assembly budget debate last week Dr Sands said the administration had squandered its credibility over the issue of the Dorian missing. In particular, he said officials have never explained how hundreds of names of people reported missing were culled from the official list of missing people and he urged the government to clarify matters on the number of people who died.

In his statement yesterday, Mr Dames said his ministry is “shocked and profoundly disappointed” by Dr Sands’ comments. “His recent remarks in the House are particularly surprising given that as the minister of health he played a leading role in the government’s Hurricane Dorian’s response and restoration,” he said.

“He was afforded every opportunity to voice his concerns about the process and offer solutions to improve it. In an interview with the Miami Herald on Sunday 8th September 2019, Dr Sands called information suggesting a cover-up ‘false’ and ‘unfortunate.’ In light of the aforesaid, the ministry finds the former minister’s most recent comments disingenuous. His comments malign the good name and reputation of the hard working men and women in uniform, who continue to this day to make sacrifices to help those families affected by Dorian.”

“His recent comments are misleading and whether intentionally or unintentionally, impinge the good standing efforts of our nation in the eyes of the international community and to reopen up old wounds of people whose lives have been shattered as a result of this tragedy.”

Mr Dames said given the magnitude of the tragedy, the government mobilized public and private sectors and sought assistance from the international community. He noted that by law the Royal Bahamas Police Force is responsible for the investigation of all people reported missing in the country and said the police partnered with other government agencies, non-governmental agencies and international experts to undertake “the very arduous task of compiling a list of missing individuals.”

“From the onset,” he said, “it was a known fact that some people in search of missing relatives were making reports to agencies/organisations other than the police including the Department of Social Services, the Red Cross and NEMA. The police immediately went to work to compile a centralized list which totalled 1,092 people from Grand Bahama and Abaco. Of the total, 24 were from Grand Bahama and 1,058 were from Abaco.”

“After the police took receipt of the initial list and began their reconciliation work, they discovered that the list consisted not only of missing persons but also persons in need of housing assistance, persons reporting other crimes, persons who were displaced, and duplication of names. The number of persons falling within these categories totalled 813. The police missing persons list currently stands at 279. As the reconciliation process continues these numbers are expected to fluctuate.”

Mr Dames said fluctuations of missing person lists after such disasters are common, noting that the National Geographic reported last year that 14 years after Hurricane Katrina, officials were still trying to determine the number of missing persons. “Hurricane deaths are often difficult to fully quantify and numbers vary,” he said.

Mr Dames said police use flyers in English and Creole to encourage people to report sightings of missing people and that PSAs are published online and in local media while the relevant communities are canvassed.

“At no time was any attempt made by the police or anyone else to delete any names off the list without first performing due diligence. If the former Minister or anyone else has information to prove otherwise the Ministry request that it be made public for all to see,” he said.