Newly-appointed Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management, and Reconstruction, the Hon. Iram Lewis said restoring some sort of normalcy to the islands of Abaco, Grand Bahama and the Cays affected by Hurricane Dorian will not be an overnight fix, but will require time and professional advice from people like local accountants.
Speaking on the final day of the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants on the topic, “Our role in recovery efforts, challenges and opportunities for the accounting profession” at Pelican Bay Resort, Mr. Lewis noted that his new Ministry has become critical to the restoration of the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, in the aftermath of Category 5 Hurricane Dorian.
He said that he’s aware of the fact that Hurricane Dorian has presented a number of challenges for the government and the people of The Bahamas, but added that his philosophy has always been that in the midst of challenges are hidden opportunities.
“With technical support from various disciplines, I have no doubt that I can accomplish the goals of rebuilding Grand Bahama, Abaco, the Cays, and by extension, a bigger and better Bahamas,” said Minister Lewis.
“In short order, the legislation in which authorizations were given to establish the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority will be gazetted, thus giving rise to new modality in preparing, recovering and reconstruction in the event of a disaster.”
Minister Lewis has confirmed that his new Ministry will assume responsibility for both NEMA and the Authority.
As far as NEMA’s role is concerned, he pointed out that the department will continue to operate as a government agency with responsibilities inclusive of planning, and undertaking relief and recovery activities.
“While I am grateful for the invaluable team efforts executed by NEMA’s personnel subsequent to the passing of Dorian, it is my personal view that NEMA will require capacity building, through the training of staff and the hiring of persons with appropriate skill sets to ensure that the department practices are in line with regional and international best practices,” said Minister Lewis.
“The Authority, on the other hand is a quasi-government entity that will be governed by a Board of Directors, however, a Managing Director will assume responsibility for the day-to-day activities.
“While it is expected that NEMA and the Authority will collaborate on some activities, the focus of the Authority will be specifically on reconstruction.
“I must firmly state that the Authority will receive and disburse a considerable amount of funds for activities within its ambit, however, stringent measures will be adopted to ensure that financial resources are disbursed in accordance with prescribed practices.” In restoring normalcy to the islands and cays affected by the storm, Minister Lewis said that the Delivery Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, with assistance from government ministries involved, will in short order introduce a comprehensive plan that is based on addressing challenges arising from the hurricane in six pillars: infrastructure, the economy, health, education, the environment and housing.
He said that the cleanup exercise and removal of debris from affected islands and cays is on-going and the assessment will require considerable time before completion because the government has directed contractors to undertake a very cautious approach when removing debris in certain areas because of unaccounted for individuals.
Minister Lewis admitted that restoring normalcy to the affected islands will not be an overnight fix, but will require time and professional advice including counsel from the accounting field.
