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OCHA update 3/09/2019 Storm development- As of 5:00pm EST, Dorian has finally cleared Grand Bahama en route to the eastern Florida coast. Initial reports from Abaco and Grand Bahama suggest serious damage and critical needs for those affected.
Early impact reports- Aerial footage from Abaco shows damage to roofing, flooded roads and homes, widespread debris and windswept trees and power lines.
- The Minister of Health reports that 21 people from Abaco were brought to Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau with a wide range of injuries, adding that Rand Hospital in Grand Bahamas is currently unable to provide any medical treatment due to flooding that forced the evacuation of patients. The Minister of State for Grand Bahama reports that 50 patients from a local children’s hospital were relocated.
- The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) reports most of their towers in Abaco are down, with only 30 per cent of service available for mobile users and 10 per cent for fixed line. Marsh Harbor port, the main port in Abaco, is reportedly under water.
- In Grand Bahama, roads are impassable and Fishing Hole Road Bridge, which connects West Grand Bahama and Freeport, is almost underwater, according to the Minister of State of Grand Bahama. Unconfirmed media reports cite surge of about 20 feet higher than the average roof of the homes in the Bahamas and that the Freeport airport is completely flooded.
- The Government has stated that they the capacity to supply food and water for both islands for 2 weeks. Supplies will be sent once the all clear has been given.
Response actions - National- NEMA is expressing that they are currently focused on lifesaving response efforts.
- The Bahamas Defense Force are going in and out of Abaco, supporting whatever lifesaving operations have been taking place
- The Emergency Operations Centre is reporting that an all clear for Abaco is expected at 4:00am on 4 September, after which an RNAT team will make its way to Abaco to begin assessments. Initial assessments are still pending for Grand Bahama. As of 1:00pm EST, there is no confirmed date for the RNAT deployment to Grand Bahama.
- The Government of Bahamas has issued guidance on financial contributions and have made it explicitly clear they seek external relief in cash to avoid additional logistics burdens for NEMA and CDEMA.
Response actions – bilateral assistance- The United States Coast Guard evacuated 32 people from Abaco. The US has also provided four helicopters to support rescue operations.
- USAID is deploying a 17-man DART Team; 450 rolls of plastic sheeting; 600 hygiene kits with buckets; 4 chain saw sets; 1200 10L collapsible water containers.
- The Government of the United Kingdom is providing rapid deployment teams, with NFIs, jerry cans, hygiene kits, and shelter kits loaded onto the RFA Mounts Bay, which arrived on 2 September. Additionally, the UK has supplies in Antigua and is willing to provide secondments to international organizations, funding through UN/Red Cross or NGOs, as well as search and rescue and emergency medical teams.
Response actions – multilateral assistance- The USG/ ERC will be travelling to Bahamas on 4 September and meet with high level government officials, along with the UN Resident Coordinator a.i. for Jamaica, whose area of responsibility includes Bahamas.
- A CARICOM Secretariat mission is also tentatively set for 5 September
- IFRC is looking into sourcing extra assessment staff for the field and have expressed a willingness to consolidate assessment efforts with teams already in place. IFRC has already provided CHF 250,000 from the DREF and launched an emergency appeal for CHF 3.2 million on a preliminary basis to enable IFRC to support the Bahamas Red Cross Society to deliver assistance to 5,000 families for 12 months.
- ECHO has activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism EUCPM (EU experts on different specialized fields including search and rescue, WASH, relief and in-kind support) available upon national or UN request. Additionally, they have made Copernicus Emergency Mapping services available and are looking into emergency funding tools.
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