DEVASTATION in Abaco after Hurricane Dorian. (NOAA via AP)
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
A WEEK-long national memorial with various activities in honour of Hurricane Dorian victims, survivors and first responders will be held beginning next month, press secretary Clint Watson announced yesterday.
Mr Watson said activities will be held on Abaco and Grand Bahama – the islands directly affected by the monster storm- as well as New Providence.
The events will take place as the country marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Dorian making landfall.
“It will be a week of activities which we will be announcing very soon as to how we will go through the week of memorialising those involved in Hurricane Dorian so listen out to that,” Mr Watson said during an Office of the Prime Minister press conference yesterday.
“There will be events here in New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama.”
He also revealed plans for a national memorial concert to be held at Baha Mar that will feature local talent as well as famous American gospel singer, Cece Winans, who will be headlining the event.
“The New Providence concert, which is being sponsored by the private sector, will take place on Thursday September 1. A concert will also take place in Abaco on Saturday, September 3with Grand Bahama’s being held the following day.
The concerts will also be free, OPM added.
Other memorial activities planned include social outreach events and a weather symposium on Abaco, which will be hosted by media personalities and Bishop Silbert Mills.
More details on the events will be announced next week.
“The celebrations will be the first government recognised memorial since the passage of Dorian. We highlight the opposition’s support for these national events for what will be a nonpartisan and unifying effort,” OPM also said.
Hurricane Dorian hit Abaco on September 1, 2019, as a Category 5 hurricane before barreling toward Grand Bahama.
Nearly three years later, the islands remain in recovery mode.
While the official death toll of the storm is said to be 74 people, many more are still missing.
Comments
sheeprunner12 2 years, 4 months ago
Please let this go. No need to memorialize this.
No good can come out of this. Another political gimmick
Sickened 2 years, 4 months ago
They can only make money if they find a way to spend our money. Remember a good portion of the cost ALWAYS filters back to them.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 4 months ago
The PLP need to start WORKING and stop having ceremonies and parties at public expense.
This is becoming more ridiculous by the day
tribanon 2 years, 4 months ago
Sadly, the travelling, ceremonial activities, parties, etc. is the only thing they know how to do. It is so glaringly obvious their gross incompetence renders them clueless about governing.
TimesUp 2 years, 4 months ago
It is wonderful to celebrate our local heroes and to remember the poor souls that we lost.
It is also extremely frustrating to know that time and resources can be spent on this whilst absolutely nothing has been done to mitigate or at least understand the affects of the next monster storm.
Can we at least have some research and surveys done to show the true extent of the flooding, can we see how the loss of the mangroves and pine forest will effect us in the future? Can we see how opening fishing hole road would slow the flooding?
Can we set up a heliport for emergencies on high ground with warehouses that can be used for storage, evacuation, medial triage?
Can we set up a contract with the cruise lines to evacuate people to Nassau?
Can we get our real estate gangsters under control to act responsibly by informing people they are buying in a flood zone.
Can we amend our building code to the risk of the area?
Can the Port designate some land for business/commercial that doesn't readily flood.
We will flood again! what is being done?
JackArawak 2 years, 4 months ago
can we have RBDF and RBPF teams secure the main intersections on main roads so that there is less opportunity to move looted goods?
christee 2 years, 4 months ago
The hurricane affected the residents of Grand Bahama and Abaco. Why are they having the memorial concert in Nassau? This is just another excuse to squander our tax dollars.
tribanon 2 years, 4 months ago
More virtue signalling to the illegal Haitian community?
No doubt if the likes of roly-poly Davis and corkscew Fwreddy Boy had their way there would have been another flag shown in the photo to this news article.
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