The Tribune

IF there is such a thing as poetic justice, the collapse of roof trusses on a hurricane shelter in Abaco on the fifth anniversary of the impact of Hurricane Dorian feels like the opposite – a cruel injustice and a further frustration for residents of that island.

The shelter was to have opened in May 2021. That deadline sailed past with no shelter. The Tribune was told recently that it would – despite the doubts of residents – be completed by the end of the year. This collapse will of course raise further doubts in that regard.

The collapse also brings back memories of just over a year ago when a portion of a roof under construction at RM Bailey Senior High School also saw roof trusses collapse.

That incident raised concerns over the contract process, and also saw Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis assert that the contractor “decided that he would self-insure”. He added at the time: “You could self-insure yourself. He takes the risk, which he has done. He said the trusses has collapsed and I’ll make that good. That’s self-insurance.”

Questions will of course be asked about the insurance in place with regard to this latest incident. One hopes it does not follow in the footsteps of that earlier case, or indeed the fire at the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute in Andros back in January 2015 when Mr Davis was Minister of Works and the contractor there also did not have insurance.

For locals, however, it is another frustration that more than five years have passed and the needs of those who suffered through Hurricane Dorian have still yet to be met.

Resident Roscoe Thompson also pointed out that the shelter is “undersized for what we need in Abaco”.

He said of the shelter, which has ballooned in cost from the original $1.8m to its current price tag of $4.8m: “The original plan was for a bigger building. It baffles me how the government prices these buildings.”

Meanwhile, across in Grand Bahama, which also felt the impact of Hurricane Dorian of course, Tribune staff visited Pelican Point, where repairs have still been ongoing – though are close to fruition.

The physical damage may be dealt with, but the emotional damage still lingers. One family over in Rocky Creek, living in a temporary wooden structure, talked of how it shakes if the wind blows, and the fear is that we are in hurricane season.

Over in High Rock, Joshua Cooper talked of still being shaken by the loss of so many family members. He said: “It was a tragedy, and I never want it to happen again.”

In McLean’s Town, there have been positive things to report, with the final touches on the new school ahead of reopening this week.

So many people still have stories of how Dorian affected them personally. As we continue to rebuild, we must remember to rebuild our people’s lives too, to support them after the losses, physical and emotional, that they suffered, and continue to suffer.

It is no easy task, but for those who went through it, nothing is easy. We owe it to our fellow Bahamians to be there for them.