Bahamas News
NEMA’s ‘Operation Relief’ Makes its way to Sweeting’s Cay and East End, Grand Bahama
East End, GB, October 8, 2019 – Bahamas – The National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) Operation Relief made its way to the quaint and peaceful settlements in East End and was received by residents with grateful hearts and opened arms.
Recently, the team, led by Senator Kay Forbes-Smith NEMA’s Grand Bahama Coordinator, loaded up a box truck of hurricane relief supplies and with a convoy of volunteers, headed to the communities of Grand Bahama that were the hardest hit by Hurricane Dorian when it blew through the island on September 1, 2019.
The trip to the East was more of a reconnaissance mission as much as it was a mission of supplying needed relief items.
Sweeting’s Cay was the destination, but obvious needs in communities along the way diverted the route, as Senator Forbes-Smith; Grand Bahama Christian Council President, Robert Lockhart; Island Administrators and NEMA volunteers stopped to deliver cases of water, canned goods, hygiene products, dry goods and words of encouragement to residents in other communities.
“The purpose of the trip was to really get a view of where we are as it relates to our efforts in East Grand Bahama,” said Senator Forbes-Smith. “East Grand Bahama was severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian and we need to really check on a daily basis on how we are progressing in East Grand Bahama, because it is an area that has been devastated so much.”
The trip to East Grand Bahama was carried out by all of NEMA support services working on post Dorian efforts. Bertha McPhee led the team from the Department of Environmental Health, along with the Commander of the Defence Force, Special Forces from the Trinidad police force and local NEMA volunteers.
At each stop, where care packages were delivered to residents, Senator Smith, Pastor Robert Lockhart, East End Administrators and NEMA volunteers listened as home owners and even children expounded the horrors they faced in riding out Hurricane Dorian in East Grand Bahama.
“We wanted to talk to residents in McLean’s Town, in High Rock, in Pelican Point and on Sweeting’s Cay about what their needs are and where they are following Hurricane Dorian,” said Senator Forbes-Smith.
Words of comfort and encouragement were offered, as Pastor Lockhart told home owners to continue to stay strong and to believe in the fact that things will get better.
As the team moved further and further east, the devastation got more severe. In High Rock, only the frames of homes remained. The government complex (which housed a police station, National Insurance Board and a small post office) was obliterated. The High Rock clinic across the street was flattened, with the four walls of the small building lying in four different directions, as if someone had intentional pulled the building apart to see what was inside.
By the time the convoy reached McLean’s Town devastation and the idea of losing everything took on new meaning. The once thriving, robust, active community, where Grand Bahamians would gather by the dock awaiting a boat to get to Abaco or Sweeting’s Cay lie deserted.
Homes that had been abandoned by its occupants during the height of the storm, sat shattered, some had roofs caved in, some had walls blown out and some were only concrete foundations, the only indication that a house at one point stood there.
The remnants of toys, clothing, yard equipment, house appliances and other personal items were strewn over yards where houses had been destroyed.
However, the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian would also show up in the nearby sea, during the boat ride from McLean’s Town to Sweeting’s Cay, where cars littered the water near the dock. It was unclear how so many cars ended up in the sea surrounding McLean’s Town, but speculations suggested that the high tide that had moved on land, receded, pulling cars with it into the sea.
Sweeting’s Cay would suffer the same fate as McLean’s Town. Not one home or building on the small cay escaped Hurricane Dorian’s wrath. Some were more damaged than others, but all were basically uninhabitable. Yet the people on Sweeting’s Cay insisted on staying, not wanting to leave what they had worked so hard to accumulate, in spite of the fact that it was all lying in rubble.
On the surface, one looking from the outside in, would have found it difficult to believe that Sweeting’s Cay residents had gone through a major hurricane and that they had lost all that they had to that storm, because they greeted the convoy of NEMA volunteers with welcoming smiles, hugs and genuine appreciation.
Supplies were unloaded and taken to a central location on the Cay, where residents gathered and the supplies distributed based on individual need. A tour of the Cay would reveal destruction that seem unimaginable, yet miraculously, no one on Sweeting’s Cay lost their life to Hurricane Dorian.
According to Senator Smith, the trip gave NEMA some insight as to where residents on Sweeting’s Cay and in East End stood in terms of their needs.
“From this trip, what we found is that we have to come up with a different strategy for debris removal in east Grand Bahama and we also have to talk about the education that we need to provide to the community as it relates to mold remediation.
“There’s a thousand things that we need to do in East Grand Bahama, as we have to do for the entire island of Grand Bahama that was flooded and hit hard. There is still a lot of work left to be done in restoring the island of Grand Bahama. But if we take it one step at a time, then we will eventually get there.”
By: Andrew Coakley
Release: BIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Pastor Robert Lockhart (left) and NEMA Coordinator (GB), Kay Forbes-Smith (right) offers words of encouragement and comfort to a resident in High Rock who suffered great loss as a result of Hurricane Dorian that devastated the Eastern part of Grand Bahama when if passed through the island on September 1, 2019.
1st Insert: A resident of Freetown, East Grand Bahama shares his experience of Hurricane Dorian with NEMA Coordinator (GB), Kay Forbes-Smith and Grand Bahama Christian Council President, Pastor Robert Lockhart, during a recent NEMA distribution of hurricane relief supplies to the residents of East Grand Bahama.
2nd Insert: Senator Kay Forbes-Smith, NEMA Coordinator (GB) chats with a resident of Sweeting’s Cay, while the hurricane relief supplies for the community was off loaded from a boat and placed at a central location on the island, during NEMA’s distribution of supplies to residents in East Grand Bahama.
3rd Insert: A well-known resident and business owner from High Rock, affectionately known as “Bishop” points out the severe damage that was done to his restaurant and villas in High Rock as a result of Category 5 Hurricane Dorian. At right is NEMA Coordinator (GB), Senator Kay Forbes-Smith.
(BIS photos by Lisa Davis)
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas#RoyalCaribbean, April 23, 2024- After being delayed following its announcement in 2020, Royal Caribbean’s new 17 acre Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, is now in the works and is scheduled to be ready for 2025, according to reports. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday April 22, signifying the start of construction in the next few months. This project is huge for The Bahamas as it’s a first of kind for the nation, with a unique public private partnership allowing Bahamians to hold up to 49 percent in equity.
Nassau, THE BAHAMAS — Some of the most successful and accomplished professionals and business leaders in the country
recently shared their experiences and nuggets of wisdom with students at University of The Bahamas (UB) about thriving in a wide range of careers.
The University Centre for Counselling and Career Services and the Career and Job Placement Advisory Unit collaborated to host the 2024 Career Symposium which brought students face to face with leaders in the careers to which they aspire.
Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Maria Oriakhi, said the symposium was key to developing potential as university students strive to leave their mark on the world.
Ms. Rickell Curry
“In the spirit of collaboration and growth, let us engage in meaningful dialogue, cultivate relationships, and harness the power of collective wisdom to shape our futures,” said Dr. Oriakhi. “Together, let us embark on this journey of exploration and discovery, united in our commitment to realizing our fullest potential and making meaningful contributions to our communities and beyond.”
Promoting careers in psychology, Ms. Curry noted that psychologists are equipped with the ability to help others, troubleshoot areas of weakness within themselves, and become better people and professionals in the process.
“The floor is yours to be able to explore. There’s no job where you don’t have to deal with people, so learning, even if you get a bachelor’s in psychology, is a great grounding,” she said.
Dr. Darville, one of few interventional radiologists in The Bahamas, offered another nugget of advice on choosing an area of study.
Dr. Elizabeth Darville
“It is important to know enough about yourself in order to make the decisions you want to make,” said Dr. Darville. “You have to work on yourself first and know what you want to do. Radiology gives you a chance to have fun. It gives you a chance to mold your career closer to your personal life than other medical specialties might.”
Another growing field is project management which Mr. Hepburn called a life skill. He also urged a commitment to lifelong learning.
“Individuals that continue to learn become unstoppable, period,” said Mr. Hepburn. “It is so true. When you learn, you become unstoppable because nothing can stop you in your process of development.
Mr. Wellington Hepburn
“The more you know, the more valuable you are. We need individuals who are cross functional—that can operate in different capacities. So please understand that your learning should never stop.”
With small and medium-sized businesses helping to drive the economy at an incredible rate, Ms. Rolle affirmed the importance of entrepreneurship in any economy.
“When we talk about entrepreneurship, we usually look at it from a myopic standpoint,” she said. Ms. Rolle. “What do I mean by that? Small, but usually about self: ‘how do I make more money?’ And in some cases, some look at entrepreneurship as a way of survival. ‘I need to make a couple extra dollars, I have this bill to pay’. Those types of things.
Ms. Samantha Rolle
“But entrepreneurship really, in its truest form, is about innovation, whether it’s a new concept or any existing concept that you innovate new ways, or help expand the economy.”
The career symposium was held at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre and is held every academic year.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
- Career Symposium 1: UB Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Maria Oriakhi, delivers the opening address at the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 2: Students and guest speakers enjoy a lighthearted moment during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 3: Ms. Rickell Curry speaks to students during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 4: Dr. Elizabeth Darville delivers remarks during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 5: Mr. Wellington Hepburn educates students on the importance of project management during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 6: Ms. Samantha Rolle talks about the role and importance of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in any economy.
Office of University Relations
University of The Bahamas
2nd Floor, Michael H. Eldon Complex
Oakes Field Campus
P.O. Box N-4912
Nassau, The Bahamas
Tel: (242) 302-4355/4354/4365
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