News
NEMA intensifies relief, recovery
NASSAU, The Bahamas, October 16, 2016 – In the wake of the powerful Hurricane Matthew, the National Emergency Management Agency is strengthening its organizational structure and systems so as to effectively bring about assistance to Bahamians impacted by the storm. This is being done through a three-tier system, which is being organized to include ground assessors, zone or district coordinators, technical and social services teams.
Social services teams have already assisted many of the families impacted in the hard hit areas of New Providence, North Andros and West End, Grand Bahama. The teams, are being strengthened so as to expedite and conclude assessments as soon as possible, as the relief and recovery phases are being carried out.
Hurricane Matthew passed through New Providence on October 5 as a Category 3 storm leaving thousands of downed power lines, major disruption to communications, electricity services and other utilities, and massive flooding and storm surge along the eastern and southwestern shorelines.
Hurricane Matthew passed through North Andros as a Category 4 storm; where 80 percent of homes in Lowe Sound, Andros were destroyed. The neighboring communities of Nicholls Town, Morgan’s Bluff, Red Bay’s and Mastic Point also experienced damages due to strong winds and extensive flooding. And in West end, also as a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Matthew left 95 percent of the buildings in Eight Mile Rock and Holmes Rock significantly damaged. However that community of North Andros is being assisted with food and water from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force container city where meals are provided daily for those residents.
The Government, through NEMA, has intensified its relief and recovery phases, in the first instance ensuring that immediate supplies such as water and food reach those in need shipped by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessels. Also in the interim, each constituency is being given two big rolls of tarpaulin to be distributed by designated teams comprising Social Services, Defence Force and Housing to ensure residents whose homes suffered roof damage were protected from further leaking.
The Ministry of Tourism through its cruise ship partners Carnival and Norwegian Sky have, with the assistance of NEMA, distributed thousands of pounds of ice and water to residents in need of these essential supplies. Some financial assistance is coming in from the local and international communities namely Commonwealth Bank, the Chinese Embassy, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and others.
The utility companies such as BPL, BTC, Cable Bahamas and Water & Sewerage are reporting restoration efforts in an effort to return to some sense of normalcy, the lives of affected residents. More specifically, Bahamas Power and Light Company (BPL) is making good progress and has 14 crews dispatched in the field , including 2 teams from the Caribbean Electricity Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), two PowerSecure teams and two private contractor teams.
Areas of particular interests are Pinewood Gardens, given the flooding experienced there, Elizabeth Estates and Yellow Elder Gardens. There are also teams in Sea Breeze, and on Marshall Road, which is one of the hardest hit areas in southern New Providence. BPL reported restoring power to more than 80 percent of residential customers on New Providence and is aiming to be closer to full restoration by the end of the week.
Significant progress has been made toward the clean up efforts on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Andros. Teams from each community were formed to remove debris from public parks, roads and other thoroughfares. The effort in New Providence is about 60 percent completed. The mammoth task of cleaning in Grand Bahama, West End in particular, is progressing well.
Utility poles and downed power and telephone lines are being removed and secured daily. As electricity is being restored in various communities, work teams will work through the evening in an effort to expedite the clearing up process. The public is reminded to store damaged appliances and furniture in safe places outside their walls and fences for easy collection by the pick-up crew.
Where possible, the public is encouraged to transport garbage, furniture and other bulk waste to the New Providence Landfill at no cost. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has signed and an Exigency Order, enabling impacted residents of New Providence Grand Bahama, The Berry Islands and North and Central Andros to bring in specified goods, duty free.
The Government is mindful of the impact of Hurricane Matthew on the business community. In this vein, the Government is giving consideration to the incentive and assistance packages to help businesses re-open in the shortest possible time. Meetings have been held with business leaders in an effort to bring relief to businesses. Assistance to the business community can take several years, however the Government is determined to develop the most effective model to jump start businesses.
Acknowledging the importance of small businesses to the growth of the economy, a comprehensive assessment of fishermen and farmers will commence this week with a view of determining the extent of losses in this category of the local economy. Following the assessments, a determination will be made as to the level of assistance and support to be given to those impacted.
The Government of The Bahamas will work with the Clearing Banks in an effort to devise a formula for persons whose homes were destroyed and large mortgage payments exist. Encouraged by one banking institution which has pledged to review its ease of loan payments programme, the Government will continue to explore all options to soften the hardship persons endure with mortgage loans, where homes were either destroyed or severely damaged.
Relief supplies being shipped to North Andros, as part of ongoing relief and recovery programme following the passage of Hurricane Matthew, which impacted the country, about a week ago.
(PHOTO/NEMA)
ICE being distributed from NEMA on Gladstone Road to residents impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Meanwhile, electricity is being restored by BPL to consumers.
(BIS PHOTO/Patrick Hanna)
February is National Self- Check Month and family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic, OH, John Hanicak, MD, highlights why at home self-checks are extremely important when it comes to not just early cancer detection but identifying other illnesses too and offers tips on what to look out for.
“Sometimes I look at them as sort of like your check engine light on the car, just like there would be a red flashing light that tells you that
there’s something wrong with a car and prompts you to bring that in and get serviced. Your body does the same thing. It gives you warning signs to look into that symptom a little bit further,” said Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak said self-checks are going to be a little different for everyone.
However, in general, he recommends looking for anything that may seem abnormal, such as unexplained weight loss, blood in your urine, bumps and bruises that won’t heal, and changes in bowel habits.
For example, if you suddenly start going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, that could be a sign of something more serious.
He also suggests doing regular skin checks and documenting any moles or spots that start to look different.
“Realize that you are your own person. There’s nobody else in the world exactly like you. You’ve got your own set of ideas, your own family history and your own genetics. Know what is normal for you, and when that changes, that’s the kind of thing that we would be interested in talking about,” said Dr. Hanicak.
Dr. Hanicak notes that self-checks are not meant to replace cancer screenings, as those are just as important to keep up with.
Press Release: Cleveland Clinic
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
