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News : Bahamas Information Services Updates Last Updated: Sep 16, 2017 - 7:57:34 PM


PM Minnis vows to ‘Transform’ Ragged Island into model for sustainable community
By Matt Maura
Sep 16, 2017 - 7:47:21 PM

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Prime Minister Minnis discussing the impact of Hurricane Irma and the resolve to re-build, in the House of Assembly, September 13, 2017. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

Nassau, The Bahamas – Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis has vowed to transform Ragged Island into a model for sustainable community by rebuilding it into the first “fully green island in the region.”
 
The Prime Minister said the Government of The Bahamas will accomplish this objective through the use renewable energy and smart technologies from solar energy, to sustainable water purification systems.
 
Ragged Island sustained the brunt of the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma in The Bahamas. Most of the homes there were destroyed or severely damaged. Power lines are down. Utilities are non-functioning. Public buildings, including the government-operated school, the clinic and other public facilities are severely damaged or destroyed.
 
Prime Minister Minnis said Ragged Island can emerge from the destruction and devastation caused by Hurricane Irma as a new model for sustainable communities throughout the region and The Bahamas.
 
“Out of the devastation and the destruction, a new Ragged Island will emerge including stronger building codes, improved zoning, and strategies to mitigate against Climate Change and rising sea levels,” Prime Minister Minnis pledged.
 
“I assure the wonderful people of Ragged Island that their island will be rebuilt. We will work with private institutions, international agencies and foreign partners to create a more sustainable island-community at Ragged Island.
 
“We know by faith and the experience of history that out of tragedy, can often come new life. (That) Despair can be transformed into hope.”
 
Prime Minister Minnis said Hurricane Irma “destroyed” Ragged Island. Dr. Minnis further said the fact that the country was spared the loss of life of “Bahamian brothers and sisters, especially from Ragged Island,” was but for the Grace of God, and the result of taking emergency action to “evacuate the residents of our most south-eastern islands.”
 
“This is the first time in the modern history of The Bahamas that an entire island has witnessed the wholesale destruction of its infrastructure, both public and private,” Prime Minister Minnis said.
 
“Most homes are destroyed or severely damaged. Power lines are down. Utilities are non-functioning. Public buildings, including the government-operated school, the clinic and other public facilities are severely damaged or destroyed. The numbers of dead animals pose a serious health risk.
 
“One civil servant, who has visited our islands after various hurricanes, including in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew, expressed that this is the worst destruction he has seen in The Bahamas after a major hurricane,” Prime Minister Minnis added.
 
Hurricane Andrew was a Category 5 Storm that struck The Bahamas and the States of Florida and Louisiana, United States of America, in mid-August, 1992. Effects of the Hurricane were felt in other U.S. States such as Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
 
At its conclusion, Andrew was responsible for the destruction of more than 65,000 houses while damaging 124,000 others. Sixty-five persons lost their lives as a result of the Hurricane, which left a $26.5 billion bill in its wake.
 
Prime Minister Minnis said Ragged Island will have to be rebuilt through a combination of public and private efforts.
 
The Prime Minister said a number of Ragged Islanders from throughout The Bahamas have already offered their assistance with regards to recovery and rebuilding.
 
“I wish to offer a general note of gratitude to all of those who assisted the country in preparation for, and in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma,” Prime Minister Minnis said.
 
“We are fortunate to have been spared greater harm and damage, so let us give thanks to the Lord of Life for our many blessings.”
 
                                                             



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