Residents of the Southern Bahamas will be better equipped to handle their immediate situation if a disaster threatens.
On June 22, 2017, during an Official Turnover Ceremony, the United States Northern Command in a special ceremony handed over an Emergency Relief Warehouse to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The facility, built at an estimated $1.8 million, is the third of its kind donated to complement the national disaster plan. The warehousing project is a concept of Captain Stephen Russell, Director of NEMA, and the United States Government to assist with hurricane preparedness in The Bahamas. Strategically placed throughout the archipelago, the first warehouse was built on New Providence in 1989; in 2013 the second was commissioned in Freeport, Grand Bahama; and the third is located on Inagua.
The warehouse, which is situated at HMBS Matthew Town (Royal Bahamas Defence Force Base), will be stockpiled with emergency supplies by the end of July. The islands in the Southern Bahamas are Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay (or the MICAL Constituency).
On hand for the occasion were Senator the Hon. Dion Foulkes, Director of NEMA Captain Stephen Russell, the Hon. Miriam Emmanuel, Member of Parliament for MICAL, Local Government and other officials of Inagua; and Lisa Johnson, Charge d’Affaires, US Embassy, Nassau; Lieutenant Commander Patrick Davis, US Embassy Defense Attaché; Wendell Rigby, NEMA’s Warehouse Coordinator; Penny Rechkemmer, US Embassy Public Affairs; and members of the USNORTHCOM’s Humanitarian Assistance Program Team led by Interagency Director Randy Zeller.
Mr. Foulkes, who spoke on behalf of the Prime Minister, expressed appreciation for the Emergency Relief Warehouse, underscoring the importance of the relationship between The Bahamas, via NEMA, and the United States Southern and Northern Commands, which began about 15 years ago. “This relationship has been extremely beneficial for both nations,” he said. “This partnership has supported NEMA’s programs namely, Disaster Mitigation; Preparedness; Response and Recovery; and Disaster Risk Reduction.
“It is therefore with great honour I accept the gift of the Disaster Relief Warehouse on behalf of the Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Alexander Minnis, the communities in the southern Bahamas and all people of The Bahamas,” he said.
Mr. Foulkes also thanked staff of NEMA, members of the National Disaster Preparedness Consultative Committee, contractors, engineers, the Ministry of Works and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force for collaborative efforts in bringing the construction of the warehouse to fruition.
He added: “The people and Government of The Bahamas are pleased that NEMA has been relentless in its efforts in ensuring that the country has the capability and capacity to adequately respond to disasters.”
NEMA has embraced a Comprehensive Disaster Management program, which seeks to strengthen institutional capacity while embracing the need to mitigate, manage and coordinate responses to natural and technological hazards.
The National Emergency Management Agency and by extension the National Disaster Preparedness Committee are tasked with ensuring that Bahamians and indeed all individuals within our country are made aware of preparedness measures in the event of a hurricane and other hazards.
“While we are in the 2017 Hurricane Season, we must be mindful of all of the other threats that can impact our country such as fires, floods, tornadoes, boating and aircraft mishaps, oil spills, climate change and other hazards.
“Therefore our plans must be focused on a comprehensive approach to disaster management. We must always be mindful that all potential impacts of a disaster should not be taken lightly,” Mr. Foulkes said.
He noted that the level of preparedness and response to such events could significantly impact the country’s stability.
“Therefore, in order to ensure that our families, homes and businesses are secured, we must foster partnerships with international bodies, faith based organizations and other stakeholders throughout our communities,” he said.
According to Mr. Foulkes, NEMA alone cannot keep The Bahamas safe from disasters: It also takes, properly informed and prepared communities to do their part in helping to reduce the impact of hazards that are associated with disasters.
To the MICAL constituency, Mr. Foulkes urged working together to ensure that the ability to recover, mitigate and rebuild after a disaster is timely and effective.
By Lindsay Thompson
Bahamas Information Services
