The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Disaster Reconstruction Authority’s (DRA) ex-chairman yesterday said he does not believe any of its staff were “deliberately negligent” as allegations continue to swirl around its performance.

John Michael Clarke told Tribune Business he had “confidence” in the persons working under him to properly administer Dorian rebuilding contracts and perform professionally in helping Abaco and Grand Bahama recover from the Category Five storm’s devastation.

Responding to assertions that the DRA has incurred almost $1m in storage fees with Tropical Shipping for not removing dome homes from its shipping containers, he replied: “From a Board perspective, we put a lot of faith and confidence in the persons that were taking care of the day-to-day operations of the DRA.

“I would say time and time again, I don’t believe that anybody in government, and anybody that works disasters and has to do it every day, is deliberately negligent. The need of the hurricane was so great, and there were so many issues. So people aren’t deliberately negligent. That doesn’t happen.

“You may disagree with how something is executed and the timing, but I always say to get the facts, do the research, and you would find there are any number of factors that could have impacted why certain things didn’t happen in a certain way.”

The previous Minnis administration purchased the dome homes after Dorian wiped out much of Abaco’s housing stock, viewing them as a temporary solution that would give displaced persons a home. It bought nearly 200 domes for almost $6m, but while some were erected others have not been used at all.

Mr Clarke added: “Nobody is deliberately negligent, and that’s not only for Hurricane Dorian. That’s for every hurricane, because as Bahamians we respond to need and we don’t want to see our brothers hurting. Nobody’s deliberately negligent. No disaster manager in this country is deliberately negligent.”

His comments came amid the ongoing controversy over the DRA’s performance that was sparked by revelations concerning the contract received by its previous managing director, Katherine Forbes-Smith.

Besides her $110,000 annual salary, she was also being paid an annual housing allowance of $30,000, duty allowance of $15,000 and even a gratuity at the end of the contract of 15 percent of the total sum received. Many observers viewed this as excessive when set against what the DRA has accomplished to-date.

A former DRA Board member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mrs Forbes-Smith’s contract was never negotiated by, or came before the Board for its approval, and was instead handed to them as a mandate by the Government.