News
Hurricane hit residents take to social media about slow payment of Insurance Claims
By Deandrea Hamilton
Editor
#TurksandCaicos, November 28, 2022 – Just over two months after Hurricane Fiona, residents are still languishing they say, waiting for reasonable insurance payouts and the frustration is giving way to public outcry on social media, where adjusters and at least one insurance company is named as being unfair and unresponsive when it comes to the claims process.
“…clients of —— have yet to receive their claims. The insurance company is not communicating effectively nor responding to emails and telephone calls,” said one report.
Just a few weeks ago, Edwin Astwood, Leader of the Opposition issued a statement calling for a national education campaign on home insurance. In the report, the Grand Turk South, Member of Parliament uncorked a string of dilemmas facing home owners who are being told they are underinsured.
“The experience of seeking a pay-out from the insurance companies has been a stressful, disappointing, and an eye-opening experience for many homeowners. Many expressed the feeling of being grossly uninformed and lacking needed knowledge about their insurance policies, especially those who got insurance through their banking institutions.
A common mistake that some homeowners make is not to insure their property for the full replacement value, thus creating the issue of underinsurance, and as a result, if an insured peril causes damage to the home or its contents are stolen, the claim may be subject to the application of the average clause.”
The Grand Turk resident said some are having to dig into life savings and come up with tens of thousands of dollars to replace their homes which were damaged in the September 20, Category one hurricane. He was concerned that so many residents find themselves ill-equipped to bounce back, within reasonable time from a severe encounter with hurricane or other emergencies.
“Insurance data points out that many homes in the Turks and Caicos are underinsured, with there also being many homes uninsured. That should be a major concern for the Government, the homeowners, and for the insurer, especially given that risks from climatic events such as hurricanes and flooding become more adverse annually,” said Astwood.
There was some advice to avoid underinsurance from the MP; he said, “Insure your property for its replacement value rather than market value; ensure that all of your contents are included in your policy and Review insurance policies annually.”
On the latter point, the LOO shared “given that the replacement value of the property may change due to inflation associated with construction costs or home improvement projects implemented. This regular audit of your insurance, at the time of your renewal or at any point during the policy year, assists to ensure that your property is fully covered in the event of loss by an insured peril.”
While the TCI Government participates in the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, (CCRIF) it is not in the practice of handing out funds or materials for reconstruction of personal dwelling homes after a storm or fire. It may be among the reasons the Opposition Leader and others are now demanding attention for the issue; calling for concerns to be elevated and public understanding to be taken on as a national priority.
People also believe insurance companies need to be held accountable or exposed when dealing unfairly with policy holders.
“One client/customer of ——— insurance for many years told us they were shocked and embarrassed when they submitted their claim for their property after the hurricane to receive an insulting response that they have no claim to receive after losing the majority of their properties in the hurricane.”
Astwood informed the public education and awareness could be led by the Ministry of Finance or regulated through the Financial Services Commission for the banks and insurance companies servicing the marketplace.
“I cannot underscore more the importance of having complete home insurance, as I learned the lesson personally in the past. It is a bad idea for homeowners not to have insurance or to be underinsured.
More must be done and should be done in protecting against our people being blindsided by insurance adjustments, and more must be done in educating our people about insurance claims, policies, and procedures. In this vein, after essential discussions with relevant stakeholders the necessary consumer protection legislation will be introduced, passed, gazetted and relevant information will be published on the appropriate government website to ensure greater protections and transparency for the people of the Turks and Caicos.”
Astwood, as leader of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) promised his party would make the matter paramount.
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Participants of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting’s Camp Inclusion, including the camp’s student advocates, recently toured Nassau Cruise Port in a move designed to produce multiple benefits for the children.
Camp officials said the tour was part of the “moving away” from the old tradition of keeping children with disabilities locked away at home, and towards greater social inclusion for persons with disabilities – especially children.
Facilitated by the Community Affairs Division of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting at the Flamingo Gardens Family Life Centre, the camp is a collaborative effort between the Ministry, its Community Affairs and Disability Affairs Divisions, the Bahamas Coalition of Advocates for Disability Awareness and Service (BaCADAS), and the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). The majority of the Camp Instructors are persons with disabilities.
The Camp is in keeping with the Global Family Day 2024 theme of “Embracing Diversity, Strengthening Families,” and is an extension of the Ministry’s continued efforts to take the lead in ensuring access and inclusion for all — particularly the community of persons with disabilities — in every aspect of society.
Children with different levels and types of disabilities, along with student advocates, participated. Its focus was to ensure that participating youth learn about living with mobility and intellectual disabilities, advocacy, inclusion and accessibility.
Mr. Townsley Roberts, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, said
the visit is expected to have a number of expected outcomes.
“It was very important to get the kids out and for them to see parts of the island that they rarely get a chance to experience,” Mr. Roberts said. “It was also an opportunity for them to feel a part of the Bahamian society because many times they are kept at home or just in the classroom (and) so this gives them a chance to spread their wings; an opportunity to dream. You never know, something they saw today can spark their imaginations and some may become artists, want to work in the tourism field or even just to try and experience a cruise. The ability to dream, to feel a part of society, to feel included, is important to the growth of all children, including persons with disabilities.”
Mr. Roberts applauded officials at Nassau Cruise Port for agreeing to the tour, which he said also allowed chaperones to inform the student advocates of some of the aspects that makes a facility accessible and inclusive.
“We are so happy that the Cruise Port allowed us the opportunity to come and tour the facility. As the name of the camp goes, what we are promoting is inclusion — total inclusion in all aspects of Bahamian society including the culture, and the open spaces. We want to make sure that all spaces are accessible and one of the things we know, because we had the opportunity to inspect the cruise port, is that the Port is accessible to persons with disabilities. So why not bring the children – including the student advocates — here as a means of helping them to understand and to witness first-hand what accessibility means and how it, or the lack of accessibility, affects the lives of persons with disabilities.”
Mr. Antoine Munroe, a Camp Instructor and employee of the Disability Affairs Division of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, said access and inclusion ensures that every person is able to achieve the same outcomes whether in social, educational, or employment settings, and are the best methods of ensuring that persons with disabilities are given the same opportunities to participate in society. He applauded the inclusion of the student advocates in the camp.
“It is a passion of my own to see young people included and exposed to the life of persons with disabilities. Being able to tour the facility gave me an understanding of how I can use my cane to move about with a little assistance and I thought that was very, very smooth. I congratulate those persons who were able to cause this to happen, and also the persons in charge of the Nassau Cruise Port. I think this is a very good step in the right direction,” Mr. Munroe added.
Release: BIS
(BIS Photos/Patrice Johnson)
Bahamas News
National Commission for Persons with Disabilities gauges ‘accessibility’ at ZNS, BIS as part of ongoing inspection schedule
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Inspectors attached to the Inspectorate Division of the Secretariat of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) conducted assessments of the facilities at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas, and Bahamas Information Services, Tuesday (July 23) as part of their ongoing efforts to ensure that all public facilities, and those private facilities that provide services to members of the public, are accessible for all.
Both entities fall under the remit of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting as does the Secretariat.
The team was headed by Mr. Townsley Roberts, Deputy Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and included Mr. G. Michael Ellis, Senior Inspector; Mr. Wesley Paul, Inspector; and Mr. Thorne Clarke, Inspector.
Deputy Executive Secretary Roberts said the inspections were two-fold.
“Today we are inspecting ZNS and BIS which are both a part of the Ministry of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting to ensure that they are accessible because it is our belief that we cannot ask the public to do the things required by law without first ensuring that our entities are also in compliance,” Mr. Roberts said.
“People need to understand that accessibility to persons with disabilities is just as important as it is to persons without a disability. We want to be able to go about your day-to-day business without any obstacles in our way.
“What makes us disabled is the built environment, the barriers in front of us. If you remove those barriers, then we can do many of the same things persons without disabilities can do, and sometimes better. So this is what we are about. We are trying to make The Bahamas a place for all persons (and) where it will be comfortable for persons with disabilities to be able to manoeuvre through buildings and other spaces with the same ease and comfort expected by everyone else.”
The inspection team conducted assessments of wheelchair ramps, bathrooms, office spaces, and parking and reception areas, and measured doorway and hallway widths, in addition to other spaces to ensure that the requirements as set out in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, 2014, are met.
Mr. Ellis, who spent 34 years as a member of the Royal Bahamas Police Force before retiring as a Senior Police Officer and who brings that same knowledge of the law to his new role, said the inspections help to ensure that the community of persons with disabilities enjoy the same rights to accessibility as any other citizen.
“Persons with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs, persons with walkers, crutches and those who use other assistive devices such as canes, should be able to move around just like everyone else,” Mr. Ellis said.
“We were looking to make sure that there were accessible bathrooms for both males and females, to ensure that there are proper ramps and that the ramps are the proper sizes, to ensure that all of the offices are accessible and all of the other areas are accessible for persons with disabilities.
“The Act says whatever we, as able bodied persons can do, a person with a disability should be permitted or allowed to do the same without any hindrance. Our job is to ensure that these facilities are in compliance with the Act.”
Once inspections are completed, Adjustment Orders are sent to those facilities/businesses found not to be in compliance with the Act, advising them of any faults, and providing a time-frame for compliance.
(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson)
Release: Bahamas Information Services
PHOTO CAPTIONS
Header: – ZNS/BCB
Left to right:
1: G. Michael Ellis – Sr. Inspector (NCPD)
2: Thorne Clarke – Inspector (NCPD)
3: Townsley Roberts – Deputy Executive Secretary (NCPD)
4: Wesley Paul – Inspector (NCPD)
5: Carlton Smith – Chief Security Officer (BCB)
Insert: – BIS
Left to right:
1: Elcott Coleby – Director General (BIS)
2: Wesley Paul – Inspector (NCPD)
3: Townsley Roberts – Deputy Executive Secretary (NCPD)
4: Carlton Smith – Chief Security Officer (BCB)
5: Thorne Clarke – Inspector (NCPD)
6: G. Michael Ellis – Sr. Inspector (NCPD)
***MEDIA RELEASE***
July 23rd, 2024.
Around 10:59 am, the Police Control Room received a call of gunshots at a location along the Millennium Highway, Providenciales.
Officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force were dispatched and, based on preliminary investigations, were told that the occupant (s) of a red Suzuki Swift was at a business place when another car pulled alongside it, and the occupants started shooting.
The driver of the Swift drove off while the other unidentified vehicle sped off in a separate direction. 
Officers found the Swift abandoned near Miracle Close, Blue Hills, shortly after.
Based on investigations, no injuries were reported.
This remains an active investigation.
The RT&CIPF is asking anyone with information or CCTV footage of the shooting that may assist the police with enquiries to contact 911, the closest police station, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 and anonymously give any information.
Additionally, persons are being asked to download the Crime Stoppers P3 app.
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