September 12, 2019

Highlights

USAID contributes an additional $3.8 million for emergency response activities

EMTs provide health care services to affected communities in Abaco, Grand Bahama

Repairs underway to restore cellular services, power in worst-affected eastern Grand Bahama, northern Abaco

Key Developments

The humanitarian response continues in The Bahamas’ storm-affected Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, as well as other areas of the country hosting displaced populations. Providing immediate and longer-term shelter solutions for displaced individuals remains a top response priority, according to the Government of The Bahamas (GoB) National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). New Providence Island, where the capital city of Nassau is located, hosted an estimated 5,500 evacuees as of September 11.

On September 12, USAID Administrator Mark Green announced approximately $3.8 million in additional funding for the humanitarian response in The Bahamas, including support for USAID partners to provide health, livelihoods, logistics, psychosocial support, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance for affected communities. To date, the U.S. Government (USG) has provided nearly $10.2 million to meet emergency needs resulting from Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas.

The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) continues to coordinate USG response activities in The Bahamas. As of September 11, DoD had provided more than 60 flights for humanitarian operations, transporting approximately 250 personnel and 120 metric tons (MT) of relief commodities. Experts from the DART and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) are also providing coordination and technical support to the NEMA-led emergency operations centers in Abaco and Nassau.

CURRENT SITUATION

According to NEMA, priorities for the emergency response to Hurricane Dorian include providing immediate and longer-term housing solutions for displaced individuals, ensuring adequate supplies of food and water for people sheltering in collective centers, and continuing search, rescue, and recovery operations. NEMA also notes the ongoing need for assistance with the management of resources and logistics operations, last-mile transport for relief commodities, and securing sufficient fuel supplies.

On September 9 and 10, the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) approved more than 900 aircraft requests to fly to Abaco and Grand Bahama for emergency response operations, reflecting the high volume of relief activities underway in affected areas, NEMA reports. Additionally, the BCAA permitted commercial carriers to resume normal flights to Abaco—on a limited basis—on September 11; approvals for flights related to humanitarian operations will continue to be prioritized. Airspace management remains a critical priority given the heightened pressure on air traffic control equipment and other airport infrastructure. While all airports in Abaco are reportedly functional as of September 11, sustained storm damage continues to limit many of the airports’ capacities, which even prior to Hurricane Dorian were limited to small-scale operations.

By September 11, cellular services had resumed in most affected areas except for eastern Grand Bahama and northern parts of Abaco, including Cooper’s Town and Treasure Cay. Aliv, one of the country’s telecommunications providers, continues to conduct repairs and estimates that up to 80 percent of the network in Abaco will be restored within one week; re-establishing cellular service in eastern Grand Bahama is anticipated to take longer. As telecommunications services improve, Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) noted plans to reduce the quantity of free humanitarian calling operations for isolated communities beginning September 11; TSF continues to provide satellite connection to facilitate communication for humanitarian operations in Abaco and Nassau.

Electricity infrastructure in Abaco, particularly in Marsh Harbour and across the island’s northern areas, remains extensively damaged, leaving affected communities reliant on generators for power and increasing the demand for fuel, NEMA reports. Equipment and personnel from the Bahamas Power and Light Company (BPLC) arrived in Abaco on September 11 and 12 to begin repairs, which will initially focus on restoring power in southern Abaco where damage is less severe. NEMA is coordinating with relief partners to facilitate the acquisition and transport of additional equipment—including high-capacity generators—to supplement BPLC efforts.

DISPLACEMENT AND SHELTER

More than 5,500 individuals from storm-affected islands had evacuated to New Providence by air and sea using commercial, private, and national and international government-facilitated operators as of September 11, according to NEMA. The government agency is working to collate numbers of displaced individuals who have evacuated to other islands of The Bahamas or other countries. NEMA further reports that demand for evacuations continues to decrease, while the UN World Food Program (WFP) estimates that between 6,000 and 7,000 people remain in Abaco and surrounding cays.

Given the risk for severe weather—including strong winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding—amid the ongoing hurricane season, DART staff, in collaboration with NEMA and other relief actors, continue to assess conditions of existing shelters in Abaco, Grand Bahama, and New Providence, and to develop plans for shelter solutions for displaced populations. In particular, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) are assessing structures for potential use as alternative collective centers—allowing the churches, gymnasiums, schools, and other community buildings currently hosting evacuees to resume normal functions—and IFRC is leading design of a rental subsidy program.

Relief actors also continue to distribute shelter materials, including USAID-supported plastic sheeting and shelter kits, to enable some affected populations to repair and return to their houses, where appropriate.

Additionally, with USAID/OFDA support, the Bahamas Red Cross Society (BRCS) distributed blankets and tarpaulin to support affected communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama from September 9 to 11. BRCS also continues to support evacuees in New Providence, providing blankets, cleaning items, cots, tarpaulins, and other materials to collective centers across the island.

The USAID-deployed search-and-rescue team had assessed more than 900 structures, including bridges, health clinics, houses, schools, and other infrastructure, in Abaco and the surrounding cays. During the course of the assessments, the search-and-rescue team cleared 16 cays near Abaco, as well as conducted aerial overflights of additional cays near Abaco and Grand Bahama.

LOGISTICS SUPPORT

On September 11, DoD delivered two ambulances and medical supplies to Grand Bahama’s Freeport city on behalf of the GoB Ministry of Health (MoH) to support the Rand Memorial Hospital, as well as more than 6 MTs of WASH commodities—including hygiene kits, water bladders, and generators—from Nassau to Marsh Harbour for the non-governmental organization (NGO) Water Mission. Overall, DoD had conducted about 60 flights, transporting approximately 250 humanitarian personnel and 120 MT of relief commodities between Nassau and storm-affected islands, as of September 11.

In addition to coordinating with DoD to provide logistics services for humanitarian actors, USAID/OFDA recently contributed more than $1 million to support WFP logistics and emergency telecommunications operations in affected areas of The Bahamas. WFP has established a logistics hub in Marsh Harbour to support logistics and supply chain management. The UN agency has also set up four mobile storage units at the Marsh Harbour port and another at the nearby Leonard M. Thompson International Airport to provide storage for food and other relief commodities. Total USAID support toward WFP’s Limited Emergency Operation for Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas amounts to more than $2 million, or nearly 40 percent of $5.4 million appeal.

FOOD AND HEALTH

WFP reports that food distributions by local and international organizations and private citizens and entities are largely meeting immediate food needs of affected populations in Abaco and Grand Bahama, as well as evacuees in New Providence. The UN agency alone had delivered approximately 8,000 ready-to-eat meals, with support from USAID/FFP, in Abaco and Grand Bahama by September 11. In coordination with NEMA and other relief actors, WFP staff continue to conduct food security assessments to identify and address any gaps.

By September 12, health facilities in western Grand Bahama were largely functional, while the status of some health clinics in eastern Grand Bahama remained unknown, according to the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC). Across Abaco, approximately one-third of all health facilities assessed were operational, while the remaining facilities were partially or non-functioning. The GoB MoH has deployed teams of rotating health personnel and is coordinating the activities of several emergency medical teams (EMTs)—groups of health professionals that meet internationally recognized standards to respond to foreign disasters or emergencies—to bolster the health capacity in Abaco, Grand Bahama, and New Providence, the UN reports.

The Samaritan’s Purse EMT, comprising more than 40 medical personnel, opened a field hospital in Freeport on September 10; the field hospital has out-patient capacity for 100 people per day and in-patient capacity for 40 people, including surgical facilities. By September 12, the field hospital had served more than 200 patients, the NGO reports. The field hospital is located near Rand Memorial Hospital, which is operating at reduced capacity due to storm damages, according to PDC.

From September 8 to 9, the International Medical Corps (IMC) EMT conducted assessments and provided consultations, as well as treatment for injuries and respiratory issues, for approximately 100 people in eastern areas of Grand Bahama severely affected by Hurricane Dorian. The EMT also provided personnel support for the Rand Memorial Hospital. The EMT continues to provide medical support both through a static facility in Freeport, with capacity to provide outpatient health services for 100 people per day, as well as mobile operations in central and eastern parts of the island. The IMC team in The Bahamas comprises more than 30 personnel, including physicians, obstetrics and oncology nurses, mental health and psychosocial support practitioners, and WASH specialists.

Additionally, on September 11, Americares deployed an EMT to support primary health care services in collective centers hosting evacuees in New Providence.

In addition to rescuing more than 400 people during search-and-rescue operations, the USCG had provided medical aid to more than 480 patients and performed more than 90 medical evacuations from storm-affected areas of Abaco and Grand Bahama as of September 11.

USAID/OFDA recently provided more than $2.3 million to IFRC to support health and protection activities, including first aid and psychosocial support assistance in collective shelters, as well as livelihoods, multipurpose cash, shelter, and WASH interventions.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

International donors continue to support the humanitarian response with financial contributions and deployment of disaster response personnel and specialized resources. The European Commission's Department for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has allocated approximately $550,000 toward immediate response efforts and deployed staff to assist with national authorities’ coordination efforts. Additionally, the European Commission’s Copernicus service is supporting emergency satellite mapping needs. The Government of Switzerland has allocated more than $500,000 to IFRC and more than $200,000 to WFP to facilitate distribution of food assistance. On September 6, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) announced nearly $1.9 million in contributions toward the response effort, including for the delivery of relief commodities by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay and support for the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

On September 11, The Netherlands deployed two navy vessels and military personnel to Nassau to facilitate humanitarian transportation, distribute relief commodities, and offer specialized assistance at local hospitals. The vessels provide logistical and technical capacity, including underwater surveillance capabilities, two helicopters, and approximately 40 vehicles, which will enable relief actors to better access remote populations in need amidst storm-damaged roads and other infrastructure.

PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION

The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for disaster responses around the world can be found at www.interaction.org.

USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, and warehouse space); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietarily, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

More information can be found at: USAID Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org/hurricane-dorian/ or +1.202.661.7710. Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at http://www.reliefweb.int.