The fulsome, decisive and organized response of the administration of Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to the threat of Hurricane Irma stands in marked contrast to the shambolic and slow response of the administration of former Prime Minister Perry Christie to Hurricane Joaquin in 2015 and Hurricane Matthew last year.
The storms provided an opportunity for the major political parties and their leaders to demonstrate the quality of leadership in their ranks, including at the prime ministerial and ministerial levels.
Christie and the PLP's initial response to Hurricanes Joaquin and Matthew was sluggish and an abysmal failure. Joaquin was already ravaging Long Island by the time the Christie government was beginning to get its act together.
Even after the failures of Joaquin, in which Christie said lessons were learned, his government was still re-learning these lessons with Matthew just a year later.
Hurricane Irma, a super-storm that was the size of France, was one of the severest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Irma began its menacing journey in the Eastern Atlantic, mushrooming into a ferocious killer storm, threatening several countries and jurisdictions in the Caribbean.
With its meandering path unclear, and initial reports of the havoc Irma might wreak on our Northern Caribbean neighbors, the Minnis administration sounded the alarm loudly and repeatedly.
On May 29, just shy of three weeks after coming to office after the FNM's May 10 electoral landslide, Minnis visited the headquarters of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urge officials to be prepared for the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.
As Hurricane Irma churned toward The Bahamas, the prime minister was making his way back home on September 3 from an overseas trip. The evening of his return he was briefed by officials on the potential direction of the storm and preparations for Irma.
The very next day, the 4th, he spoke to the press and the country: "Let me emphasize at the outset, that Hurricane Irma may pose a direct and serious threat to The Bahamas...
"Given our recent experience with Hurricanes Joaquin and Matthew, it is imperative that we are proactive... While the exact track of Hurricane Irma is uncertain, various models indicate that Irma poses a serious threat to our archipelago.
"Accordingly, all agencies of the government are on full alert in preparation for the hurricane. This includes the activation of emergency protocols by NEMA, the uniformed branches of government and other relevant government agencies."
Minnis noted: "The preparation of shelters and coordination with NGOs are also priorities. The government will do all in its power to ensure that the country is fully prepared, including for rescue and recovery efforts...
"Even as the government is taking the necessary precautions to prepare for Hurricane Irma, I want to stress the need for preparation by the general public and private institutions."
Threatened
It is important to remember the pressure the government was under as the monster storm threatened the entire archipelago, including the country's two major population centers of New Providence and Grand Bahama.
Minnis was organized and precise in preparation for the hurricane and in his communications to the public. He spoke to the nation on two other occasions prior to the hurricane. Yesterday he delivered an initial communication on Hurricane Irma to the House of Assembly.
The news from the Northern Caribbean was chilling as Irma made landfall. Barbuda and Anguilla were ravaged. St. Martin/Saint Maarten and the British Virgin Islands were devastated. Other locales from Puerto Rico to Haiti experienced the effects of the hurricane. The number of deaths increased amidst the devastation.
Northern Cuba was eventually hit hard as Irma tracked in a more westerly direction, sparing some of The Bahamas even more adverse hurricane conditions. Our neighbors in Florida, including the Keys, bore the wrath of Irma as the storm tracked in a more northerly direction.
As Irma raced toward The Bahamas, the government had to make a momentous decision unprecedented in the modern Bahamas. The government took the decision to begin an emergency mass evacuation from the southern Bahamas after consultation with NEMA and the Meteorological Office.
On September 5, the prime minister again addressed the nation, noting "that we are facing one of the potentially severest natural disasters in the modern history of The Bahamas".
The prime minister stressed: "On its current path, Hurricane Irma, which is currently a dangerous Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of approximately 185 mph, poses a dire threat to Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay and Ragged Island.
"The wind speed, rain and expected storm surge make this a potentially catastrophic hurricane. Accordingly, we must act quickly to protect lives, with a particular emphasis on the residents of the southern Bahamas, who are at the greatest risk.
"The emergency evacuation will begin early tomorrow morning and will be conducted by aircraft. To underscore the threat posed by Hurricane Irma, I note that this is the largest such evacuation in the history of the country."
Evacuated
Approximately 1,200 people were evacuated from the southern Bahamas and approximately 355 from Bimini. The generally well-organized evacuations were done in a timely manner, with most of those evacuated housed by family and friends. The government provided shelter to approximately 150 individuals requiring assistance.
Nearly 40 people were killed as Irma devastated our Caribbean neighbors. The decision to evacuate the southern Bahamas, and the strong pleas by Minnis, undoubtedly saved lives and minimized harm and injury, especially in Ragged Island, which is now uninhabitable.
Ragged Island is the first island in our modern history to be completely devastated by a hurricane, with the vast majority of its public and private infrastructure destroyed.
In a communication to the House of Assembly Minnis quickly addressed the rebuilding of Ragged Island: "In partnership with the residents of Ragged Island, my government proposes to transform Ragged Island into the first fully green island in the region, utilizing renewable energy and smart technologies from solar energy to sustainable water purification systems.
"Out of the devastation and the destruction - a new Ragged Island will emerge, including stronger building codes, improved zoning, and strategies to mitigate climate change and rising sea levels."
Minnis promised: "Ragged Island can emerge as a new model for sustainable communities throughout The Bahamas and the region. We will work with private institutions, international agencies and foreign partners to create at Ragged Island a more sustainable island community."
The prime minister also addressed long-term measures post-Hurricane Irma, including the risk posed by global warming: "As a low-lying small island developing state at great risk of climate change, we must develop in The Bahamas new mindsets and protocols in this era of super-storms.
"Toward this end, the government will convene a panel of experts to study, advise and report on efforts The Bahamas must take in response to the threats posed by frequent and more severe hurricanes, some of which may be monster storms."
He also stated: "In light of the likely increasing power and frequency of hurricanes, I am therefore asking the minister of works to review our building codes and to ensure that building code enforcement becomes a much greater focus of our administration."
Leadership is often most tested during a time of crisis. During the crisis posed by a monster storm from which we were spared, the Minnis administration performed exceedingly well. It now has the task of dealing with the immediate and longer-term aftermath of the storm.
A major test for the country moving forward is how prepared or ill prepared we are for another hurricane like Irma, which tragically destroyed many of our sister islands.
We should begin to prepare for such a hurricane, which may be inevitable, a perfect storm of climate change and our vulnerability as a far-flung low-lying archipelago, only partially prepared for the ravage inflicted on neighboring countries and Ragged Island.
o frontporchguardian@gmail.com.
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
