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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
NASSAU, The Bahamas --The Bahamas’ delegation to Dominica set a great precedent for how the country will be “taken care of if this was to ever happen to us,” Bahamas Christian Council President, Bishop Delton Fernander said Monday. Bishop Fernander, was part of the contingent -- led by Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis – that visited Dominica on Monday (October 2, 2017) to get a first-hand view of the devastation caused by super storm Hurricane Maria. The contingent also included Minister of Financial Services, Trade & Industry and Immigration, the Hon. T. Brent Symonette; Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Darren Henfield; Director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Captain Stephen Russell, and President of The Bahamas Union of Teachers, Mrs. Belinda Wilson.
“I believe, as a country, we demonstrated that we are citizens of the world,” Bishop Fernander said. “We showed up, we showed representation. People were there from all around the world trying to lend a helping hand and we stepped up in a very real and meaningful way. “We saw the devastation, we spoke with the Prime Minister (Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit), we met with the other Cabinet Ministers and some of the people on the ground, and there was a sense that ‘We are glad you are here; We are glad that you are looking after us and that you are concerned about us.’ “I believe that we, as a Diaspora, set a precedent for how we will be taken care of if this was to ever happen to us and so I think we should be mighty proud as a nation that we were able to step up and be that kind of example of what we ought to do as CARICOM Leaders,” Bishop Fernander added.
Bishop Fernander said the devastation caused in Dominica by Hurricane Maria was daunting. “Just about every place had tremendous damage and there is a tremendous cleanup effort taking place with mud still everywhere. You have to wear masks in some areas from what has taken place (as it relates to some potential public health concerns). “This is a journey of how we learn to take care of our brothers and sisters, with the hope that this never happens to us,” Bishop Fernander added.
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