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Last Updated: Oct 29, 2020 - 10:27:10 PM |
BIS Photo/Lisa Davis
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REPORT BY
The Hon Iram Lewis Minister of State for the Ministry of
Disaster Preparedness, Management
and Reconstruction
On
Thursday, October 29, 2020
My Fellow Bahamians,
Good Afternoon.
I begin by taking this opportunity to thank the hard-working and dedicated staff of The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA), as well as our many public and private partners for their overwhelming support in preparing for, responding to and assisting with the recovery and re-building efforts resulting from Hurricane Dorian and in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The past year has been one filled with unprecedented challenges for The Bahamas. On the heels of hurricane Dorian, we were faced with a once in a generation pandemic of COVID-19. Through these trying times, it is important that we each do our part, continue to exercise caution and follow safety protocols to safeguard not only our own health, but also the health of the most vulnerable among us, including our loved ones.
Hurricane Dorian not only uprooted the lives of thousands of Bahamians, it also disrupted the status quo and made clear the fact that now is the time for action. Climate Change is a global reality and it is affecting The Bahamas. We have been faced with the choice to either continue down the path we have always travelled, or to adjust course to avoid the catastrophe starting us in the eyes.
When the Government of The Bahamas enacted the Disaster Preparedness Response Act in 2006 it adopted the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) strategy.
This strategy is an integrated approach to disaster management that encompasses the management of all hazards through all phases of the disaster management cycle – namely, prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation.
It involves the public and private sectors, as well as all segments of civil society and the general population. The goal of CDM is to enhance efforts aimed at sustainable development by reducing risks and losses associated with natural and technological hazards and the effects of climate change.
Government’s commitment to the CDM Strategy was further cemented when the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) were formed to work in harmony with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) following the severe impact that hurricane Dorian had upon The Bahamas in early September 2019, which resulted in extensive loss and damage.
The Bahamas Government, with the assistance of local and international partners, has invested heavily over the years, in disaster preparedness and response. Although The Bahamas has been improving in the area of disaster preparedness and response, there is still much more to be done.
Hurricanes are becoming more ferocious and frequent. The intensity of these hurricanes, rising sea levels, destruction of our communities built along the shoreline, and the destruction of our ecosystem around fisheries and marine life, are all elements of climate change that demand urgent and focused attention.
Following hurricane Dorian it was recognized that there is a need to strengthen existing recovery strategies and move towards a more comprehensive and structured process that includes the articulation of a resilient recovery policy, strategy and implementation plan, with appropriate institutional arrangements. The intent is to ensure that recovery planning operations are well informed, sustainable, efficient and timely. Hence the remit of the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, that encompasses improving the framework for recovery planning in The Bahamas.
The notion of Building Back Better surfaced following hurricanes Jeanne and Frances; both were category 3 hurricanes that impacted the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in September 2004 within three weeks of each other. The events of hurricane Dorian in September 2019 catapulted the move to solidifying a policy of building a Resilient State and a shift from recovery as a reactive exercise, to a more comprehensive approach that is proactive and strategic.
As a means of enhancing recovery planning, the Government of The Bahamas requested the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in elaborating recovery coordination and planning. As such, the UNDP engaged the University of the West Indies (UWI) to provide advisory services in the development of a draft policy, strategy and implementation plan, as well as recommendations on the institutional framework, to execute and operationalize the resilient recovery vision.
Post-disaster recovery planning means, making infrastructure resilient, restoring our economy, enhancing our social protection systems, facilitating and enabling paradigm shifts in policy and development planning. And, on a human level, it means ensuring that every person in our country has the knowhow, capacity and resources to rebound stronger after a disaster or pandemic.
The UWI Advisory Team worked in close collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders to frame a suitable Policy Statement for Resilient Recovery in The Bahamas, articulate the critical elements to guide the development of the Recovery Strategy and Implementation Action Plan and, the Institutional Structures needed to support the operationalization of the Resilient Recovery Policy.
The Draft Policy Vision Statement that was developed during the consultations reads as follows:
The Bahamas is an archipelagic country that prepares for, withstands and recovers from man-made and natural disasters and promotes the safety and quality of life of all its citizens, in resilient and sustainable communities, with access to critical services and infrastructure in all of islands through education and awareness, promotion of respect for the natural and cultural environment, community based approaches and an whole-of-government commitment to resilient development.
In September of this year, the UWI Advisory Team submitted its reports to my Ministry with recommendations to garner wide national buy-in and ownership for the goal of recovery planning. The reports have been accepted by my Ministry and endorsed by the Cabinet. In this regard my Ministry will take the follow actions:
- Organize internal consultations on the Draft Recovery Policy - this will include the preparation and sharing of information, notes and policy briefs for heads of key agencies.
- Convene Meetings to review the roles and responsibilities suggested in the strategy implementation plan and the associated timeframes and make the appropriate adjustments.
- Distil and develop the necessary guidelines that inform how shared roles can be undertaken for transitional recovery services to be made seamless.
- Establish a framework for the modalities of capturing, packaging, accessing and sharing of data related to recovery assets, skills, services and spatial information on social assets and vulnerability.
- Undertake discussions on the metrics for resilient reconstruction.
- Review existing incentives for recovery and for encouraging risk-sensitive development.
- Identify and map existing financial instruments that can support recovery and reconstruction programmes, develop a strategy for the effective use of these and provide orientation of the key persons responsible for development and public financial management in the government.
- Establish a National Private Sector Recovery roundtable to promote a National Agenda for Business Contingency Planning and Continuity Management.
- Initiate a dialogue on a Resilient Public Service and Continuity of Government; and
- Establish a timeframe for the review and adoption of a Bahamas Resilient Recovery Policy.
I now brief you on the work of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
With the formation of the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness Management and Reconstruction and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority, NEMA can more focus its attention on disaster mitigation, preparedness and relief response. In essence, assuming a balance approach that includes ex-ante and ex-post activities associated with disaster management.
Following hurricane Dorian, an After Action Review was undertaken to facilitate a comprehensive assessment of some of the key and critical functionalities of our national disaster management system, specifically the Emergency Support Functions and the National Emergency Operations Centre.
That review has resulted in improvements being made to Information Technology Data Management for the enhancement of data collection and information sharing, among other things.
NEMA’s website (nema.gov.bs) has been upgraded. Three portal areas have been added to the website to provide access to various support groups to holistically communicate on any given situation. These support groups comprise of NGOs, the 14 Emergency Support Functions (EFSs) and NEMA’s internal Administration Staff
...to continue see attached
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