Bahamas News
NEMA Director applauds FI teams’ efforts as example of Comprehensive Disaster Management
By: Matt Maura
Bahamas Information Services
#TheBahamas, June 9, 2022 – The Director of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Captain Stephen Russell, (Sunday, June 5), applauded the “all-around” efforts of Family Island Administrators, local government practitioners, residents, individual Family Island Disaster Consultative Committees and non-governmental organizations in the northwest Bahamas, for their collaborative efforts before, during, and after the passage of Potential Tropical Cyclone One.
Captain Russell said the collaborative responses by the local communities to the effects of Potential Tropical Cyclone One, is an indication of how the country’s use of a Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy can help to minimize some of the potential impacts of disasters and/or emergencies.
“Comprehensive Disaster Management is a shared responsibility between NEMA, its Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), Family Island Administrators, Local Government Practitioners, Heads of Government Departments, and the Family Island Disaster Consultative Committees,” Captain Russell said. “From what I have heard and seen through our various communication platforms, I was pretty pleased to see how the various communities and the Island Disaster Consultative Committees came together to prepare for the system, and during the event, how they executed the various mitigation measures to minimize impacts in some communities.
“We are a unique country and we must rely on the community efforts of our Administrators, Local Government Council Members, as well as all of the NGOs who are in these areas to assist their communities in preparing for, and responding to any emergencies that may occur (and not necessarily hurricanes) which we saw happen as, while we were preparing for, and dealing with Potential Tropical Cyclone One, we had another incident occurring somewhere else and the teams had to respond. These are the types of communities we are trying to develop throughout The Bahamas, whereby they can respond to whatever may come their way until external assistance can arrive,” Captain Russell added.
Potential Tropical Cyclone One, which later became the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season’s first named storm (Tropical Storm Alex) after it passed The Bahamas, brought heavy rains with it over the northwest Bahamas including the islands of Bimini, Grand Bahama, Abaco, and the Berry Islands. Tropical Storm Warnings for the northwest Bahamas were discontinued and the All Clear given by The Bahamas Department of Meteorology on Sunday, June 5 at 12midnight.
The Potential Tropical Cyclone was responsible for extensive flooding in low-lying areas in portions of the northwest Bahamas. Mr. Jeffrey Simmons, Acting Director, The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, said the majority of the rainfall took place in Grand Bahama where the measurement for rainfall for a 48-hour period – 8am Friday (June 3) to 8am Saturday – was 10.69 inches of rain. Acting Director Simmons said a measurement of rainfall between the hours of 8am Friday through Saturday evening, was 8.6 inches.
Mrs. Terrece Bootle-Bethel, the Department of Local Government, also praised the efforts.
“From the alerts were issued, Family Island Administrators were monitoring the system and they were engaged very early with their Consultative Committees,” Mrs. Bootle-Bethel said. “We have seen some of the impacts, in particular the Grand Bahama area and North Abaco in the forms of photographs. We have seen photographs coming in with the Administrators and the Chief Councillor (North Abaco) clearing out drains (as a result of debris that would have clogged those drains during the passage of Potential Tropical Cyclone One) and that is what Family Island Administrators do. Get on the ground with their consultative committees and conduct thorough assessments on behalf of NEM and report their findings.”
Captain Russell also responded to a question from the media regarding the state of readiness of shelters in the impacted areas, particularly Grand Bahama and Abaco. Captain Russell said monies have been spent to repair shelters in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian – particularly in Grand Bahama and Abaco – based on what was requested, even while plans are underway to construct a multi-purpose shelter/community centre in Abaco and a proposal has been received for the construction of a multi-purpose shelter n Grand Bahama.
“Coming out of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, we got ourselves busy to see how we could assist in bringing the shelters that were impacted on stream. Through one of our donors, the United Sates Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), they pledged $15,000 for every shelter that needed assistance. USNORTHCOM gave $15,000 and the Government of The Bahamas gave $20,000. Based on what they requested, we prepared those shelters. They were all inspected and they were happy and so we had 11 shelters that were repaired in Grand Bahama and there were 2 shelters that were repaired in Abaco based on their requests. Technically we had 14-15 shelters that were ready to go in Grand Bahama if necessary.
“We met with teams from the U.N. and other partners just last week in Abaco to finalize a Plan of Action to get that structure out of the ground. We are looking at that particular shelter as a prototype for shelters we would like to build in strategic locations throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in the not too distant future. The Links Chapter and The Bahamas Red Cross have put forth a proposal to construct a shelter in Grand Bahama. The same plan for the Abaco model has been shared with them to see how they can modify it or if it suits their purpose. We continue to liaison with The Red Cross and the Links Chapter to see how they can advance that structure for us,” Captain Russell added.
Photo Captions:
Header: NEMA Director, Captain Stephen Russell, at podium addressing Sunday’s Press Conference held at NEMA’s Headquarters, Gladstone Road. Also pictured to Captain Russell’s right is Mrs. Annette Lunn, Sign Language Interpreter, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development.
Insert: Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response, the Hon. Myles LaRoda (seated centre) addressed Sunday’s Press Conference, informing media personnel and the general public that disaster management officials based in New Providence will inspect those areas of the northwest Bahamas that were affected by the passage of Potential Tropical Cyclone One, “once our pilots are comfortable that the lingering effects of the system would have moved out and they deem it safe for travel.” State-Minister LaRoda said in the interim: “I would have spoken to all of the Members of Parliament out of Grand Bahama (including the Minister for West End, Bimini and the Berry Islands), and in Abaco to get their assessments and concerns as it relates to the passage of Potential Tropical Cyclone One. I also spoke with a few of the Local Government officials in the affected areas and pledged the government’s assistance and complete cooperation in the aftermath. Also pictured (from left beginning at podium) are: Mrs. Gayle Outten-Moncur, Deputy-Director, NEMA; Mrs. Annette Lunn, Sign Language Interpreter, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development; Mr. Jeffrey Simmons, Acting-Director, The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, and Captain Stephen Russell, Director, NEMA. Seated in foreground is Mrs. Terrece Bootle-Bethel, Department of Local Government.
(BIS Photos/Kristaan Ingraham
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.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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