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Last Updated: May 4, 2020 - 3:19:51 PM |
New IOM study finds that there is insufficient shelter capacity for another storm in Abaco and Grand Bahama
Nassau – With only weeks to go before the start of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season, The Bahamas is under prepared in terms of its emergency shelter capacity and overall readiness, the preliminary findings of an IOM-led assessment have revealed.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recently completed a Comprehensive Assessment of 38 official and unofficial emergency shelters in Abaco and Grand Bahama.
Hurricane Dorian unleashed a brutal assault on parts of the archipelago last September with the harshest of its devastation particularly dispensed upon those two islands.
In February, IOM recruited global emergency shelter experts Ned Morris and Richard Lines to spearhead the assessment of the emergency shelters and examine the islands’ overall preparedness for the upcoming hurricane season.
The assessment was wide-reaching in its approach – assessing everything from structural readiness to the presence of equipped emergency shelter managers, to the availability of clean fresh water.
“For the 2020 hurricane season there is very limited emergency shelter capacity available on both islands,” Mr. Morris said. “Our assessment found that currently thirteen of the twenty-five official shelters are usable, providing a capacity for just over 1,500 people, or 2% of the population of Abaco and Grand Bahama”.
Many of the shelters on both islands are built in vulnerable locations. When Dorian passed through, they were unprotected for the floods and winds and therefore heavily compromised, Mr. Morris added.
The assessment was conducted through interviews with officials who managed and staffed the shelters during last year’s devastating storm and residents who sought refugee at the various locations.
“We heard stories of amazing heroism and resilience,” Mr. Lines said. “On Grand Bahama, we heard how the Maurice Moore Primary School which was the main shelter for eastern Grand Bahama became so compromised that over 100 people had to take refuge in the residence of a woman nearby.”
With the clock ticking and the Atlantic Hurricane Season beginning June 1, Jan-Willem Wegdam, the IOM Head of Office in the Bahamas, urges that despite the tremendous impact of COVID-19, the Government of The Bahamas, the private sector, the NGO’s and the communities at risk should come together immediately to review and strengthen the preparedness plans and accelerate the activities required to be sufficiently prepared. The assessment report that is released on the 4th of May 2020 recommends prioritizing the repairs the existing gyms on Grand Bahama the repair of Central Abaco Primary school as those facilities have the largest shelter capacity in these areas. The report also recommends that the The Bahamas quickly devise a credible mass evacuation plan for the Family Islands and that the central NEMA warehouse in Freeport and the individual emergency shelters in Abaco should be adequately equipped with generators, water tanks, first aid kits, medical supplies and bedding. Moreover, additional training should be provided to the more than 100 Emergency Shelter Managers. The report also makes recommendations for the medium term including increasing the shelter capacity for protracted displacement, increase of the shelter standards, conduct scenario planning and mass community drills
“The main focus or many people is understandably on COVID-19 and recovery. We hope that our report helps in prioritizing and accelerating the implementation of most urgent measures to increase safety for the coming hurricane season”, Mr. Wegdam said.
© Copyright 2020 by thebahamasweekly.com
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