With the assistance of Captain James Edgar Curling, President of Tycoon Waste Management Company Ltd. and Andrew Gaitor of A&D Gaitor Heavy Equipment, 18 submerged vehicles were removed from the area around the McCleans Town Dock. Captain Curling expressed that, ‘As a mariner, I realize the danger these submerged vehicles could have on the many boaters who frequent this area.’
Katherine Smith, Managing Director of the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) stated that, “It’s been a long year, and there are many things that we had hoped to address within the first six months of the reconstruction and recovery efforts, but there are a lot of mitigating factors that caused us to be delayed…and Covid was one of those issues.” Stating that about 90% of debris has been removed from the affected areas. The removal of submerged debris is one of the most difficult and challenging undertakings and we are thankful to our partners especially Tycoon Waste Management Company Ltd. and it’s president Captain Curling and Andrew Gaitor for their assistance today in that debris removal effort.
Hon. K. Peter Turnquest, Deputy Prime Minister and member for East Grand Bahama noted that the submerged vehicles posed a risk to navigation for boaters that are coming in from the keys and the ferry from Abaco. He also praised the DRA and partners for their ongoing efforts.
THE DRA
The Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) is responsible for the management of reconstruction and restoration in areas designated as disaster zones. The DRA Act was enacted by the Parliament of The Bahamas in 2019 in response to the wide-spread devastation of Hurricane Dorian on the Northern Bahamas. Hurricane Dorian was a Category 5 hurricane and the strongest cyclone to hit The Bahamas. The DRA is a corporate body that works collaboratively with national and international agencies in support of disaster recovery. The DRA is committed to maximizing recovery, reconstruction and resilience outcomes with a mission of building a more resilient Bahamas.
