Minister of the Environment & Housing, the Hon. Romauld Ferreira, M.P. addressed House of Assembly last Wednesday, on September 20th, to share his concern for the homelessness and collateral damage left behind by Hurricane Irma earlier this month, throughout the archipelago of the Caribbean region. Irma's arrival in Bahamian waters made the visit an historic saga of mass evacuations in MICAL, Ragged Island and Bimini.

"Before The Bahamas came face to face with the monster -- Hurricane Irma, she wreaked havoc on the sovereign state of Antigua and Barbuda. Barbuda's Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, told the BBC that 95 percent of its buildings were destroyed and half of its 1,400 population was left homeless. Hurricane Irma brought continuous destruction as she traveled to the islands of St. Martin, St. Barthelme (also known as St. Barts), Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Turks & Caicos Islands," said Minister Ferreira.

Minister Ferreira also referenced the damage to the southern-most islands as well as Bimini. He explained that climate change has threatened the security of Small Island States and that mitigating the escalating measures is the best defense to this phenomenon.

"Pending NEMA's complete assessments, we await the full picture of the impact of Irma. Mr. Speaker, The Bahamas is vulnerable to climate change and it is globally accepted as fact that Small Island Developing States or SIDS, such as The Bahamas, are the least responsible for the phenomenon of climate change. Yet these SIDS are the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and stand to lose their property and livelihoods," said Minister Ferreira.

"Due to climate change, The Bahamas can expect to be impacted by stronger hurricanes more frequently. Sadly hurricanes such as Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, may become more commonplace....”

During his presentation, Minister Ferreira addressed the need for community effort in island-wide cleanup. On the topic, he said environmental cleanliness was a concern that impacts all; and so he called on a spirit of volunteerism: “I therefore call on all residents to adopt a spirit of volunteerism. Thus we are asking all neighbourhood groups, church groups, civic organizations or concerned citizens to band together and team up to clean up."

Minister Ferreira said his Ministry has established a hotline in order to co-ordinate clean-up efforts. He added that volunteers and civil society are an essential component of this effort and appealed to the public to participate in the effort.

"If you are tired of all the garbage around you, then volunteer. If you long for the return of the days when Nassau was as clean as a whistle, then participate. We will not achieve this unless everybody plays their part, especially Corporate Bahamas, who will be called upon to adopt various roundabouts, parks, and roadsides," said Minister Ferreira.

"I want to advise all Bahamians and residents that as we clean up New Providence, we will embark on an aggressive enforcement campaign to ensure our labour is not in vain.”

By Gena Gibbs

Bahamas Information Services