Reducing vulnerability to global challenges such as climate change is an important priority for Government of The Bahamas, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Disaster Risk Management, the Hon. Myles LaRoda said Wednesday.
Mr. LaRoda said the implementation of the Disaster Risk Management Act, 2022, will provide the legal foundation for a robust reform agenda to strengthen the institutional capacity for disaster risk management and to integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in planning and investment prioritization at all levels of Government in The Bahamas.
“The Government of The Bahamas accepts that we must do all that is necessary to ensure that comprehensive disaster management policies and strategies address all aspects of the disaster management cycle: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. We also understand that those policies must involve all sectors of society—public and private because building a culture of safety is the responsibility of everyone,” State-Minister LaRoda said while leading off the debate on the Disaster Risk Management Bill, 2022.
“Investing in preparedness and disaster risk reduction is much cheaper than in response. We must not wait for disasters to occur and then act, but take disaster risk reduction seriously; it reduces losses of lives, livelihood, and property.
"The Bill marks a significant step in our implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a 15-year agreement adopted by the international community in March 2015.”
State-Minister LaRoda said engaging all of society and ensuring broad participation in implementing disaster risk reduction measures is critical to protecting persons and their livelihoods from disaster risks.
“We believe in improving knowledge and innovation to mitigate the risks of natural hazards and building a culture for disaster resilience. The legislation also makes provisions to support a whole of government approach to disaster risk management, especially the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change across the different sectors and through all levels of Government, through information sharing, cooperation, and joint planning, as appropriate, and to govern the declaration of disaster situations and ensure disaster response operations are adequate, and to facilitate the entry and coordination of international humanitarian assistance when required during a disaster situation, and to establish an Emergency Fund.”
State-Minister LaRoda said The Bahamas' DRM governance is mainly legislated by the Disaster Preparedness and Response Act of 2008 and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority Act of 2019, features of which have been retained in the proposed Bill.
Mr. LaRoda said according to the analysis carried out by the IDB based on the results of the iGOPP, neither Act provided a solid foundation to implement effective public policies in disaster risk management.
“Despite having some strengths, both Acts still leave the country with governance gaps that hinder the efforts to build a more resilient Bahamian society to natural disasters and climate change,” Mr. LaRoda told Parliament.
The new Act, Mr. LaRoda said, aims to improve the country's governance of DRM. The specific objectives are to support governance improvements relating to Risk Identification (RI), Risk Reduction (RR), Disaster Preparedness (DP), Recovery Planning (RC), and Financial Protection (FP).
With regards to Risk Identification, the Bill: designates a national actor responsible for providing technical assistance and guidelines to public bodies and local governments for disaster risk analysis; Orders the creation and maintenance of a National Disaster Risk Management Information System; Establishes the creation, systematization, or updating of databases on the effects of disasters; Establishes that each public body is responsible for carrying out disaster risk analysis within the scope of functions and jurisdictions; Formally defines "critical infrastructure” and makes the availability of information for risk analysis mandatory and defines mechanisms for its exchange.
In terms of Risk Reduction, the Bill: Establishes that public bodies are responsible for disaster risk reduction within the scope of their functions and jurisdictions; Requires public bodies to reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure under their responsibility, and establishes that local governments are responsible for disaster risk reduction within the scope of their functions and jurisdictions.
Regarding Disaster Preparedness, the Bill: Establishes the formulation of emergency plans by public bodies; Provides for the creation and operation of Early Warning Systems; Establishes the principle of subsidiary assistance between different governmental levels; Authorizes local governments to use their resources outside their jurisdiction in emergencies, and establishes that the unique needs of specific groups within the population affected by disasters must be considered in the emergency response provided by the Government.
With regards to Recovery Planning, the Bill: Establishes the restoration of livelihoods as a purpose of post-disaster recovery; Establishes studies on the underlying factors of disasters to guide a resilient recovery; Mandates the formulation of post-disaster recovery plans that explicitly seek to reduce pre-existing vulnerability, and establishes that post-disaster recovery plans must define the length of time affected homes must be repaired or rebuilt.
Regarding Financial Protection (FP), the Bill: Establishes the formulation of a financial protection structure in the country; Establishes that public bodies and local governments must cover their public assets with insurance policies or other equivalent mechanisms; Establishes a Disaster Emergency Fund that can accumulate resources over time. Budget allocation is based on the annualized loss expectancy and the recorded information on the losses from disasters in previous years.
“Enactment of the Disaster Risk Management Act is critical,” State-Minister LaRoda told Members of the Lower House of Parliament. “It will play an essential role in the following: Shifting the country's focus from disaster response to more proactive disaster risk reduction and preparedness; and enhancing the convergence between adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions. I fully support the Disaster Risk Management Bill and commend it to Honorable Members for their favorable consideration and subsequent passage.” (BIS Photo/Ulric Woodside)
