The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE 

Tribune Chief Reporter 

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DOZENS of Abaco residents living in government RV trailers will be evacuated ahead of Hurricane Milton amid concerns about potential flooding in Central Abaco due to reportedly uncleaned drainage systems.

Disaster Risk Management Authority (DRMA) managing director Aarone Sargent told reporters last night that officials had received reports of the residents seeking shelter and evacuating.

He said the Central Abaco Primary School has been activated as a shelter to provide temporary accommodation for vulnerable residents.

His comments came after Kefieanne Ferguson, the administrator for Central Abaco, told The Tribune that around 29 families still live in the trailers, which were initially provided as temporary housing after Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

The DRMA had advised residents earlier this year that these trailers would be dismantled by the end of October.

Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder previously told The Tribune that the trailers were never intended for long-term use and have become problematic, citing health and safety risks and their inability to withstand storms.

Yesterday, Mr Sargent said officials are in the process of demobilising those trailers.

When asked about residents living in domes, Prime Minister Philip Davis told reporters he was not aware of anyone residing in domes on Abaco and Grand Bahama. However, The Tribune confirmed that some people still live in these structures.

This situation arises amid concerns from some about inadequate government storm preparations.

Roscoe Thompson, chairman of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, told The Tribune local officials are “preparing for the worst but hoping for the best”.

He noted that residents are primarily worried about flooding due to an improperly maintained drainage system.

“Again, here we have a pending tropical storm, tropical storm winds with rains, and the Ministry of Works doesn’t have their equipment,” he said. “They didn’t have adequate tools, you know, power tools and chainsaws, etc.”

He added: “We have heavy equipment on standby from local government, just in case.”

He said officials knew the drainage system needed to be cleaned after the last storm, but took no action.

“It’s just really sad that we go through this every year, and it seems that we’re not , and I don’t want to say the community is not prepared, but the government agencies, it seems like we’re always behind the eight ball,” he said.

When pressed by The Tribune regarding residents’ concerns, Works Minister Clay Sweeting said contractors have been hired to clean the drains in both Abaco and Grand Bahama.

He said crews are prioritising cleaning the drains most prone to flooding.

Prime Minister Davis said the flooding-related challenges are partly due to rising sea levels.

He attributed recent flooding challenges to both rising sea levels and the natural composition of the country’s land. He said the limestone foundation of the islands allows water to seep up from the ground, leading to saturation when heavy rains occur, as seen in recent days. This saturation, combined with additional rainfall, results in significant flooding. While he referred to such events as ‘acts of God,’ he emphasised the government’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the effects of flooding.