September 18, 2019

Highlights

Affected populations’ acute humanitarian needs largely met, NEMA reports

USAID provides additional funding to support health, shelter, WASH and other priority needs

DoD draws down aerial assets as response transitions to recovery

Key Developments

The Government of The Bahamas (GoB) National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed in a September 16 press statement that the Hurricane Dorian response has transitioned to a recovery phase, as the majority of affected populations’ acute humanitarian needs are being met. Accordingly, DoD transportation and logistics assets, which began facilitating humanitarian movements on September 6, transitioned out of The Bahamas on September 18. Relief actors will utilize The Bahamas’ improving commercial air and shipping capabilities to support relief operations going forward.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) confirmed 51 deaths, including 43 deaths recorded on Abaco Island, due to Hurricane Dorian as of September 16. In coordination with NEMA and with technical guidance from the U.S. Government (USG), the RBPF is leading victim identification efforts, and expects the number of fatalities to increase as debris removal operations continue in areas of Abaco that suffered near total destruction from the storm.

The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) continues to conduct daily needs assessments across affected areas to inform planning and implementation of humanitarian programs to address multi-sector needs. To date, USAID has provided more than $17 million to the Hurricane Dorian response, including recent contributions of nearly $3 million to International Medical Corps (IMC) for health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) activities, and $1.5 million to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for information management and shelter support.

CURRENT SITUATION

On September 16, NEMA released a press statement noting a shift from the emergency phase of the response to the recovery phase, indicating that the most urgent needs, such as food and water, have been met and there is no longer an immediate threat to life. NEMA, alongside the RBPF, will lead the recovery operation and is coordinating with specialized teams to focus on removal of heavy debris—including cars and shipping containers—that had previously impeded access to some areas across affected islands. Notwithstanding the shift toward recovery, NEMA continues to underscore the need to identify and assist isolated populations in Abaco who may have received limited humanitarian assistance, particularly for food and water, to date.

The RBPF reported 51 confirmed deaths due to Hurricane Dorian as of September 16, with 43 of the deaths occurring in Abaco; the RBPF notes that the figure is expected to increase as victim recovery and fatality management operations are ongoing. The RBPF, with support from the GoB Ministry of Health (MoH) Medical Examiner’s Office, is leading these efforts, focusing on informal settlements—The Mudd and Pigeon Pea—near Abaco’s Marsh Harbour town that experienced widespread destruction. On September 16, the DART’s Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team specialist from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services traveled to The Mudd and Pigeon Pea with the RBPF and MoH to assess victim recovery progress and provide technical guidance for the GoB authorities.

As of September 17, all airports in Abaco, including the international airport in Marsh Harbour, were operational, some with limited capacity; on Grand Bahama Island two airports were operational, according to NEMA. Temporary flight restrictions remain in place, however, for airspace above the two islands, with operations limited to approved commercial and humanitarian traffic; significant repairs are still required to restore full airport operability on affected islands, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Additionally, all three ports in Abaco, as well as three of seven ports in Grand Bahama were functional as of September 16.

FOOD AND SHELTER

By September 14, the GoB Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services (DRWS) had closed the displaced persons registration center temporarily established at New Providence Island’s Lynden Pindling International Airport, noting that evacuations to The Bahamas’ capital city of Nassau had largely halted; additional evacuees may continue to register at the DRWS office in Nassau. From September 5 to 13, more than 6,800 storm-affected people had evacuated from Abaco and Grand Bahama, NEMA reports.

As of September 17, nearly 1,900 displaced people were residing in ten GoB-established shelters in New Providence, nearly 70 people were residing in two shelters in Grand Bahama, and three people were residing in one shelter in Abaco, according to NEMA. The GoB Department of Environment Health Services continues to evaluate the shelters to ensure environmental health and food safety standards are being met, the UN reports. While relief actors have largely addressed immediate emergency shelter needs, NEMA and other humanitarian partners continue to coordinate assessments to support alternate housing for displaced populations, which will inform longer term shelter strategies.

Several entities—including GoB authorities, local and international organizations, and private donors—continue to provide in-kind and cash-based assistance to meet the food needs of affected populations in Abaco, Grand Bahama, and New Providence. As of September 17, relief actors were distributing food at more than 50 locations in Grand Bahama, approximately 25 locations across Abaco and surrounding cays, and at least six locations in New Providence, according to the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC). Additionally, in New Providence, the GoB Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development is providing one-time emergency food vouchers to displaced populations and, in concert with the local non-governmental organization (NGO) Hands for Hunger, is managing incoming in-kind food contributions and coordinating the various distributions on the island. In Abaco, NEMA and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force are coordinating food distributions, while organizations, such as Team Rubicon, are supporting last-mile delivery of food and other relief commodities to isolated areas.

To identify any existing gaps and plan medium- and long-term assistance programs for key areas such as food, livelihoods, and shelter, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and IOM are undertaking multi-sector needs assessments among affected populations residing in collective shelters, hotels, and private homes. USAID/OFDA recently contributed $1.5 million to IOM to support shelter assistance and debris removal activities, as well as the UN agency’s Displacement Tracking Matrix exercise, which aims to support a comprehensive understanding of population movements and humanitarian needs.

COORDINATION AND LOGISTICS SUPPORT

On September 17, a DoD aircraft transported an FAA mobile air traffic control tower and FAA technical operations specialists to Marsh Harbour’s Leonard M. Thompson International Airport; the airport’s existing tower sustained damage due to Hurricane Dorian and requires repairs not feasible in the short-term. The FAA tower will support the GoB to improve airspace management for humanitarian and commercial air operations.

With commercial transportation services resuming operations, DoD phased out its logistics and transport support, activated for the acute phase of the Hurricane Dorian response, and redeployed vertical airlift assets from The Bahamas on September 18. Between September 6 and 18, DoD facilitated the transport of more than 140 metric tons (MT) of relief supplies and search equipment, as well as approximately 400 response personnel, to affected areas. By September 17, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) had also redeployed the cutters and aircrafts supporting search and rescue efforts and humanitarian transport in The Bahamas. Going forward, humanitarian actors, including the DART, will rely on The Bahamas’ improving commercial aviation and shipping capacities to facilitate transport of relief supplies and personnel.

Additionally, with more than $1 million in USAID/OFDA support, the UN World Food Program (WFP) is providing logistics capabilities, including transportation of commodities and personnel to hurricane-affected areas, technical assistance in emergency communications, and supply chain management. WFP chartered a vessel to transport more than 78 MT of relief commodities on behalf of several organizations, including Samaritan’s Purse and NetHope, from Nassau to Grand Bahama’s Freeport city and Marsh Harbour on September 15.

The USG continues to augment incident management capacity—supporting the implementation of logistical, financial, and planning systems to enable effective response and recovery efforts—in the NEMA-led emergency operations centers (EOCs) in Abaco, Grand Bahama, and Nassau. A USAID incident management team is supporting the Abaco EOC, while the USCG has an incident management assistance team (IMAT) in place in Nassau and plans to deploy another IMAT, with support from USAID/OFDA, to the Grand Bahama EOC in the coming days.

HEALTH, PROTECTION, AND WASH

According to NEMA, four of nine health clinics in Grand Bahama and six of ten clinics in Abaco, as well as one hospital on each island, were operational by September 16; however, many of the clinics still require infrastructure repairs and cleaning, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports. In light of shifting health sector needs, the international emergency medical teams (EMTs)—groups of health professionals that meet internationally recognized standards to respond to foreign disasters or emergencies—currently supporting health capacity in The Bahamas are evaluating deployment timelines and transition plans. A Team Rubicon EMT supporting communities in southern Abaco demobilized on September 16, given the adequate health facility capacity in the area, which suffered less damage than the remainder of Abaco.

In eastern Grand Bahama—which suffered extensive storm-related damage, including to the three health clinics—an EMT from IMC is responding to health needs through a static facility and mobile health activities. IMC teams are also providing mental health awareness and psychosocial support through door-to-door outreachs. USAID has provided nearly $2.7 million to support the IMC EMT, as well as the organization’s protection and WASH activities.

Hurricane Dorian resulted in extensive damage to water distribution systems on affected islands, and full restoration of electrical infrastructure is necessary to power water well fields and pumping stations in Abaco and Grand Bahama, the UN reports. While relief actors are fulfilling immediate WASH needs in many areas, distribution of safe drinking water from production points to remote communities in need remained hindered by limited transportation options and roads congested by debris as of September 15, according to the UN.

In response to WASH needs of affected populations, the NGO Water Mission is supporting access to safe drinking water at health clinics in Abaco’s Cooper’s Town and Treasure Cay, where EMTs from Heart2Heart and Humanity First are providing health care services; in Marsh Harbour, Samaritan’s Purse is supporting reverse osmosis treatment units to provide safe drinking water, according to the PDC. Currently, relief actors and private donations are supplying approximately 60 percent of the population in northern Abaco and 10 percent of the population in southern Abaco with safe drinking water, while the remainder of population has access to piped water. Meanwhile, 65 percent of the population in Grand Bahama has access to piped water, NEMA reports.

PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION

The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for disaster responses around the world can be found at www.interaction.org.

USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, and warehouse space); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietarily, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

More information can be found at: USAID Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org/hurricane-dorian/ or +1.202.661.7710. Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at http://www.reliefweb.int.