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VOL. 31 - NO. 140 MONDAY - SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2019 75 CENTS

A
‘Gov’t Not Credible With Gov't Stops
Hurricane Death Toll’
BY LEAH COOPER

Abaco
Journal Staff Writer

Shantytowns
lthough the offi-
cial Hurricane

from
Dorian death toll BY LEAH COOPER

is 50 and former

Rebuilding
Journal Staff Writer

Prime Minister Hubert

Ingraham said the death The opposition wants to
toll is in the hundreds, know how many people
perished during The Minister of Housing
Minister of Health Dr.
Hurricane Dorian, and the Environment
Duane Sands said some
according to Progressive Romauld Ferreira has
of the bodies may never
Liberal Party (PLP) issued a Prohibition to
be recovered.
Chairman Fred Mitchell. Build Order for The
Sands told The
Mr. Mitchell said yes- Mudd, Pigeon Pea, Sand
Bahama Journal that the
terday that there are too Bank and Farm Road
first 25 autopsies were
many numbers being community areas located
performed in Abaco by
passed around in this on the island of Abaco,
the Princess Margaret
regard. with immediate effect.
Hospital’s Department of
“The government does According to the
Pathology last week,
not seem credible with its Order, “no person shall
4PLP Chairman
erect any new building or
g See page 3... 4Minister of Health Dr. Duane Sands g See page 4... Fred Mitchell development for the pur-
poses of residing or carry-
ing out any commercial
UN – HUrricaNe DoriaN category ‘Hell’ activity” in the identified

H
community areas.
BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSON The purpose of the

PLP Wants
Journal Staff Writer
g See page 6...

urricane Dorian

Climate
was a Category 5
hurricane, but

Change
United Nations Secretary
General Antonio Guterres

Refugees
said he believes it was a
“hurricane category hell”.

Discussion
“But it was not pow-
ered by the devil. It was

at UNGA
powered by climate
change,” Gutteres said on
Saturday, during his tour
and assessment of the BY LEAH COOPER
destruction left by Journal Staff Writer
Hurricane Dorian in
Abaco, which was aired
Progressive Liberal
in a United Nations video.
Party (PLP) Chairman
“It’s impossible not to
Fred Mitchell yesterday
be horrified with the
said the issue of climate
destruction in Abaco after
change isn’t esoteric
Hurricane Dorian. I’ve
anymore, its essential, as
never seen such a dramat-
government officials
ic devastation anywhere
head to New York for
else in the world.”
the United Nations
Annual General
g See page 4... Assembly (UNGA) next
4 United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited Abaco on Saturday, September 14, as part of a two-day visit to The Bahamas that also included week.
high-level discussions and a joint press conference with Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, on Friday, September 13. The secretary general viewed the devastat- Mr. Mitchell insisted
ing damage at Treasure Cay and Marsh Harbour. He also met with Abaco Hurricane Coordinator Jack Thompson and visited the NEMA Command Centre on that the country must
the island. Secretary General Guterres was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield, Minister of Housing and the Environment Romauld
Ferreira and NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell. On Friday, the secretary general also visited a shelter in Nassau housing evacuees and NEMA's head-
g See page 4...
quarters. (Photos/Patrick Hanna/BIS)

A L L T H E N E W S Y O U N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G
‘Hurricane Repair
A2 The Bahama Journal
Monday - September 16th, 2019
C o s t B i l l i o
UN Secretary General Warns of Climate Crisis
BY EARYEL BOWLEG
Journal Staff Writer
United Nations Secretary
General Antonio Guterres
warned The Bahamas
about the effects of the
global climate crisis and
the billions of dollars in
repairs left by Hurricane
Dorian.
Speaking at a press
conference at the Office
of the Prime Minister last
‘Gov’t Was Prepared for Dorian’
Friday, Guterres added
that “science is telling us
that this is the start” and
“without urgent action,
climate disruption is only
going to get worse”.
He asked all leaders to
come with plans not
speeches at the Climate
Change Summit in New
York next week.
“These new large scale
climate disasters demand
a new multilateral
response. Climate financ-
BY LEAH COOPER
Journal Staff Writer
Director of the Pacific
Disaster Center Dr. Erin
Huey this past Friday
insisted there was nothing
more the Minnis adminis-
tration could have done in
preparing for a storm of
Hurricane Dorian’s size
and intensity.
This was said consider-
ing the government taking
a great deal of flack after
the storm ripped through
Abaco and Grand Bahama.
“Your building codes
are some of the strongest
in the Western
Hemisphere. Your com-
mitment to disaster man-
agement that NEMA and
the Family Islands have
placed to build disaster
resilient communities is
really unmatched,” Dr.
Huey said.
“So, I think when
you’re talking about a real-
ly mammoth storm like
this, the best thing we
could do is help support
the people that were
impacted. In that respect, I
believe very strongly that
4 Businesses, homes in Marsh Harbour sustained major damage
n s ’
ing is one element. We
must reach a target of $1
billion per year from pub-
lic and private sources for
mitigation and adaption in
the developing world, as
rich countries have been
promising for nearly a
decade and we must
improve access to devel-
opment financing,”
Guterres explained.
“This climate emer-
gency packs a triple
punch. First, the impact is
in countries with the low-
est greenhouse emissions
– The Bahamas is a very
good example of that.”
“Second, it is the poor-
est and most vulnerable
people in those countries
who suffer most and
again, the same has hap-
pened to those communi-
ties here in The
Bahamas.”
As for the threat of
more disastrous hurri-
NEMA has developed
quite a robust structure
that is able to work with
the incoming amount of
NGOs in the international
community that is support-
ing. They’re able to absorb
it, task them effectively
and get the resources out
and that is very commend-
able.”
Furthermore, Dr. Huey
said she does not think the
challenges experienced in
the country are unique.
She said as with any
other archipelago or island
nation, the biggest chal-
lenge right now is getting
information, transporting
goods from point A to B
and tracking individuals to
ensure affected persons
receive the right level of
support.
When asked if she
thought mandatory evacu-
ation legislation should be
necessary, Dr. Huey said,
“The problem is, even in
the U.S. and many parts of
the world, even those that
have mandatory evacua-
tion, you cannot physically
force someone to leave.”
“Someone’s attachment
(BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
NationalNEWS
canes, Prime Minister Dr.
Hubert Minnis said he
will focus on strengthen-
ing the building codes,
particularly in the shanty-
towns.
“We know that those
individuals are in danger
of being affected by the
elements of the storm, so
those are the areas that we
must aggressively pursue
and correct”, Dr. Minnis
said.
“It’s essential for indi-
viduals to know that they
must live in proper
accommodation and we
will continue to build
resilience and improve
continuously because the
strength of the hurricane
was Category 5, who
knows what’s next.”
On Saturday, the
Secretary-General
4 United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis,
assessed Hurricane with a number of officials, in meetings at the Office of The Prime Minister, September 13,
Dorian’s damages in 2019. The Secretary General is visiting The Bahamas to assess the damage from Hurricane
Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Dorian. (BIS Photos/Yontalay Bowe)
Legal Notice
to a place is very strong
and I think we need to
understand the psychoso-
cial components of disas-
ters. There’s a lot of peo-
ple suffering. They may
still have their home, but
the trauma of experienc-
ing something like that
exists,” she added.
In terms of rebuilding,
Dr. Huey said she is
unable to give an estimat-
ed price tag, as many
variables stand in the
way.
“It’s going to take a
very resilient nation to
commit to rebuilding
these communities and
rebuilding them in a way
that is safe and prepared
for climate change,” she
explained.
Dr. Huey said Dorian is
an example of the chang-
ing landscape of disaster
management.
She added that it illus-
trates the need not only to
rely on historic informa-
tion, but continued efforts
to advance understanding
climate change and how it
will continue to impact
the islands.
309 Haitian-Bahamians Missing
NationalNEWS
The Bahama Journal
Monday - September 16th, 2019 A3

BY EARYEL BOWLEG were housed there and the

Journal Staff Writer
Rights Bahamas revealed
last Friday that 309
Haitian-Bahamians were
reported missing by fami-
lies and loved ones after
Hurricane Dorian made
landfall.
Rights Bahamas
President Stephanie St.
Fleur compiled a three-
page list for the National
Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA) with
names and pictures of the
missing persons. The
majority of the persons
are from Abaco.
Currently, St. Fleur is
working with shelters in
New Providence to assist
evacuees.
“We’re making contact
with the administrators of
these shelters. They’re
calling to us and request
certain things,” St. Fleur
mentioned.
“Fox Hill call us saying
that they didn’t have size
five pampers or diapers.
However, we’re able to
person who put them up
cannot afford to house
them. So right now, that’s
a priority to find shelters
for these 50 families right
now.”
United Haitian
Community Front is a
newly formed group with
a dozen organizations and
the League of Haitian
Pastors is helping victims
with education, health and
other necessities to aid in
recovery.
United Haitian
Community Front
Marketer Robertson
Dieudonne was on the
ground in Abaco to assist
those evacuating. There
are those that choose, as
he explained, they “don’t
have nothing they can
relate to in Nassau”.
“I think most of us
understand island life.
They come and they do
what they have to do and
they go back to the airport
and they wanna go back.
That’s island and that’s
Bahamians, Bahamians of 4 Aerial view of heavy damage at Treasure Cay. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
Haitian descent and

‘Bodies May Never Be Found’

assist them with supplies.
That’s what we’re doing
right now.
“There are still people
right now as we speak,
club called me and said
there were 50 persons that
Haitian residents living.
They're not attached to
Nassau.
“Then there’s the hope
they’re gonna build from
scratch. That they can
rebuild. I’ve heard Education and tion that’s ready to assist proper mind frame to
Bahamians on the island Counseling Director us in providing counsel- continue their education.
saying on the phone ‘I Edward St. Fleur is look- ing either one-to-one or That’s for the children
ain't going nowhere. I ing to give mental health group counseling so that and of course the par-
gotta be here to rebuild.’” support for the survivors. we can help them to ents,” St. Fleur
The group’s “We have an organiza- debrief. Get into the explained.

g Continued from / PAGE 1...
under the oversight of the
coroner and with the full
knowledge of the Office
of the Attorney General.
“Now we have the abili-
ty to create a death certifi-
cate and begin the process
of trying to match these
persons with their loved
ones. This is a very compli-
cated process because we
don’t know, in all
instances, who these per-
sons are,” he said.
“We now have a list of
missing persons reduced to
1,300, but here are only 50
recovered bodies. The
ocean came in Grand
Bahama and Abaco and
receded. It is possible that
we may never find some of
those bodies.”
However, the minister of
health said last Friday that
the government is open to
the donation of services
from any concerned
Bahamians in response to
the Bahamas Funeral
Directors Association
expressing that it was left
in the dark concerning the
recovery dead bodies in
islands impacted by
Hurricane Dorian.
“Sometimes people feel
like we’ve been a bit slow
to accept their generous
offer. We apologize for
that, but it is by no means a
deliberate slight,” Dr.
Sands said.
He added that shortly
after, a plan was outlined
by the Ministry of National
Security using the mapping
and retrieval services of the
Americans and Canadians
on the ground with cadaver
dogs.
“Well, this has been an
issue in evolution in the
first day or two when
Dorian cleared Abaco. We
recognized we had a num-
ber of retrieved bodies and
an inoperable cooler with
the ability to retain the
remains safely. That’s a big
problem,” he said.
“We then had discussions
with a group of four mortu-
ary companies headed by
one in particular and the
idea was to to go to Abaco
and embalm.”
He said considering the
circumstances, that crisis
was placed in abeyance.
A4

Small Hurricane
NationalNEWS
The Bahama Journal
Monday - September 16th, 2019

Damage in Little
Grand Cay
BY LEAH COOPER
Journal Staff Writer
Bahamas Power and
Light (BPL) yesterday
reported that an early
assessment of Little
Grand Cay, Abaco indi-
cated that the area made
it through the monster
Category 5 Hurricane
Dorian in relatively good
condition.
This assessment was
carried out by a BPL rep-
resentative on the island
and representatives from
Allen Exploration
Walker’s Cay, which
powers the island.
The representatives
also indicated that there
is food and water and the
clinic is operational.
In a release BPL said,
“Allen Exploration
The team is expected
to be on the ground
tomorrow.
Additionally, the
power company reported
that Moore’s Island has
been fully restored as of
Friday evening.
Meantime, the BPL
team continues to work
to restore power to the
mainland Abaco, begin-
ning in the south.

‘Grand Cay’s
BPL further explained
that Little Grand Cay
suffered some damage,
but not as much as other
communities in Abaco.
Walker’s Cay is bringing
in a larger team to do a
more comprehensive
assessment of Little
Grand Cay.”
The company is also
expected to update the
public on the reconstruc-
tion of its infrastructure
in Abaco.

Restoration
Expected
Within Days’
BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTT
Journal Staff Writer
Former Prime Minister
and long-time North
Abaco Member of
Parliament Hubert
Ingraham said he is uncer-
tain on how long it would
take to rebuild Abaco, but
Grand Cay, just off North
Abaco can be up and run-
ning in a matter of days.
So far, the owners of
Walker’s Cay - Carl and
Gigi Allen have nearly $1
million for the Grand
Cay’s restoration.
“If they were given
permission or if BPL
would go and restore the
transformers and the fuses
that are missing or dam-
aged, his generation
capacity would be able to
hook into and generate
electricity for Grand Cay
and they could be up and
running in a matter of
days,” Mr. Ingraham
said.
The former North
Abaco MP accepted that
the task at hand is a great
one.
“Just to restore the
electricity in Abaco, for
instance, and to make
sure there is safe potable
water in the island of
Abaco is a massive task.
To make sure the ports
plies in and to undertake
the reconstruction work,”
the former prime minister
said.
“There is going to be
probably $500 to $600
million in insurance
money paid out for
claims in Abaco resulting
from this hurricane.
“The vast majority of
that will be money that
will be spent back to
restore.”
Former Prime
Ministers Ingraham and
Perry Christie returned
from a fact-finding trip to
Abaco last Wednesday.
The two planned to
make a similar visit to

‘Gov’t Not Credible With

couple poles, the two are operating, to get sup- Grand Bahama this week.

Hurricane Death Toll’

g Continued from / PAGE 1...

figures, but worse than that, they don’t
seem to be working quickly enough on
this issue,” he said.
“We believe this is part of the rea-
son why people are so anxious coming
out of this storm.”
Currently, the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) is
reporting that the death toll is at 50.
In an infographic released this past
Friday, NEMA indicated that “condi-
faced with unprecedented logistical
challenges in trying to access hard-to-
reach areas and widely dispersed num-
bers transient and undocumented pop-
ulations.”
Police Commissioner Anthony
Ferguson at a NEMA press conference
last week said this process is slow and
law enforcement has not made much
progress since the last update last
week, ensuring that the police will

GOT NEWS?
tions of urban search and rescue are only report factual information.

Please call The Bahama

Journal’s News TIP
LINE at 356-7254
and let us know!

Where Was God
When Dorian Hit?
Theologizing Human Suffering
I begin with two (2) insightful passages
of scripture:
Isaiah 22:5 which states “For it is a day
of trouble, and of treading down, and of
perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in
the valley of vision, breaking down the
walls, and of crying to the mountains.”
Job 2:6 which states “And the LORD
said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand;
but save his life.”
The age-old question about human suf-
fering, wrong and evil, came to the fore
again due to the devastation, destruction
and even death which Hurricane Dorian
caused.
Pain, suffering and hopelessness
pierced our souls; and personally, I was
gripped with a sense of helplessness.
Why God, why?
In the face of the devastation, we do
wonder, “Why Lord?” “What is God say-
ing?” “Why does a loving, all-powerful
God permit these things?” “Where is
Almighty God in all this?”
Mind you, when good things happen,
when we are recipients of multiple bless-
ings, we take the credit and most times
we make no reference to God.
The problem of human suffering, espe-
cially those that come from nature’s fury,
accidents and structured, intentional evil,
all point in one direction. Since so much
evil exists, then an omnipotent, loving
God must not exist.
For many persons, all this suffering,
destruction and death all proves that there
is no God – and if He does exist, He is
just not involved in human activity, nor
does He care. (Agnosticism)
Is not God all powerful?
Agnostics, atheist and skeptics say
there is no God, and when you see all this
destruction, you must conclude that a lov-
ing God does not exist. And if there is a
God, He cannot be omnipotent.
If God is able, but not willing, then He
must be malevolent.
If God is able and willing, then why
does he allow such destruction and death?
If God is neither willing nor able to
stop all this destruction, then WHY
CALL HIM GOD?
The argument and core of that position
is compelling and attractive; and most
thinking people wrestle with atheistic and
agnostic thoughts.
Our Sense of Right & Wrong
However, even a fifth-grade dropout
might ask in the face of human suffering,
wrongdoings, evil and storms, from
whence cometh our sense of right and
wrong? Why do we have a deep repug-
nance against wrong?
We believe that life should be better
even when we participate in wrong
things.
A man only calls a line crooked
because he has a sense of what a straight
line looks like.
Human suffering and evil do not
negate God. In fact, they indicate the
human need to connect – or reconnect –
with God.
One philosopher said, “If there was no
God, humans would have to create one.”
We need a source, a spirit, a power out-
side of ourselves.
Human history is replete with the inci-
dences of wrong, destruction and suffer-
ing – and we need a power outside our-
selves.
We hate and despise human suffering
because we harbor, on subliminal level, a
better life.
In Christian understanding, God’s
permissive will cannot overtake His
ultimate purpose
In the biblical story of Job, a perfect
and upright man loses everything. We
should note that God “accommodated”
Satan and gives him permission to assault
EditorialNEWS
Job.
God permits Satan to afflict Job
because He knew Job would still worship
Him. (Job 1: 20)
By the way, look at the story – be it
anecdotal or real: God calls a heavenly
meeting for His sons, and Satan comes
into the meeting. God does not bind him,
or rebuke Satan, but points him to his ser-
vant Job.
God points out Job to Satan and gives
Satan permission to afflict Job.
People, even nations who serve God
sometimes experience great tragedies –
often because God knows that the people,
unlike some others, will never “curse
God and die”.
We prove God exists because we reach
outside of ourselves for something better
than where we are on this mundane level
of existence.
God is mysterious
This transcendent God is shrouded in
mystery. The finite cannot fully compre-
hend infinity.
The pain of human suffering is
eclipsed by the inescapable truth that we
are more than flesh and blood, arteries
and capillaries. We are spiritual beings
and something in each of us longs to
reconnect with that God who transcends
the physical frame and the seasons.
I Believe in God
Every bad thing that happens to us,
even those which we cause to ourselves,
pushes us to the powerful, spirit being
outside ourselves.
He is mysterious, but you need not
doubt Him. Like Job, worship Him even
when everything is going wrong.
I believe in God because the complex-
ity of the human make-up points to delib-
erate creator who creates and sustains.
I believe the universe had a start. Who
started it?
I believe God exists because He pur-
sues us.
We want good things because of our
concept of a good God.
I believe in God because the historical
facts show that Jesus Christ walked the
earth as a physical manifestation of God
involved in human history.
In your time of tragedy, you need not
doubt God’s existence. And even if you
deny His existence, He will never deny
that you’re created by Him to give Him
praise and worship.
As hard as it is to accept, is there
another nation on this region that could
have withstood Dorian as The Bahamas
has?
God’s ultimate purpose is for our good
and we will discover that good when we
worship Him in spite of calamities.
Where was God during Hurricane
Dorian? He was right where He was
when His Son hung on the Cross for you
and for me – and we all know the victori-
ous, world-changing end to that story.
Bishop Simeon B. Hall
Senior Pastor Emeritus
New Covenant Baptist Church
Monday - September 16th, 2019
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E D I T O R
National
Inspiration Needed
The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian has
many Bahamians in a state of depression.
This is no time for political squabbling
and division. It is a time for leaders of
the nation, past and present to find ways
to bring the nation together. It is a time
when all hands must be on deck to deliv-
er the relief and for the reconstruction of
the two islands which were devastated by
the hurricane.
What we must guard against is the
onset of a national malaise where there is
despondency and a lack of concern and
caring for our fellowmen.
We would like to see all leaders, polit-
ical, religious and civic buryin g the
hatchet of political division and finding
ways to inspire the nation to work
together more than ever to restore the
lives those affected by the hurricane.
Many Bahamians are grateful and
heartened by the outpouring of support
coming from friends of the Bahamas
abroad. In the following article from the
Washington Post, we read of a friend of
Abaconians who has used his resources
to bring relief to many of the evacuees
who needed assistance.
“Della Ingraham heard the dire warn-
ings about Hurricane Dorian as it
approached through the Atlantic Ocean,
but she wasn’t worried. Born and raised
in the Bahamas, Ingraham can easily
recite the names of the destructive storms
that passed by her neighborhood in
Marsh Harbour — Betsy, Floyd, Frances,
Jeanne — but each of them came and
went, and still the community stood
strong.
The Bahamian government this time
ordered the Abaco Islands to evacuate,
telling residents plainly: “If you stay,
you’ll die.” Ingraham still felt she would
be more secure in her home than else-
where in the Bahamas, and she even
turned down an offer from a wealthy
friend in Florida who offered to fly her
and her family off the island as the storm
turned and grew into a Category 5 mon-
ster.
“We were all in the house, I had my
family with me, and we’re thinking,
‘Okay, we did hurricanes before, we can
handle this,’ ” Ingraham, 56, said.
By the time Ingraham and thousands
of others realized how dangerously dif-
ferent Dorian was, it was too late to
leave. The walls were coming down
around them, the water was rising fast,
the winds were roaring and tearing and
tossing everything in their path.
“One of the windows in the bathroom
blew out, so we took a mattress to try to
block the wind, but the wind was just too
strong for it,” she said. “Then we heard
other windows blowing out, just ‘poof,
poof, poof’ all through the house. We
ended up in my bedroom in the walk-in
closet, but that room started deteriorating.
We ran into the living room and the ceil-
ing was coming down. We were huddled
in the corner, and we started to pray.
That’s when the back door came flying
through the house straight through the
front door.”
She and nine members of her family —
including two grandchildren, ages 4 and 8
— scrambled outside with the family
dog. A neighbor across the street
implored them to run.
“So we’re running across the street to
his house. Things are flying around. I’m
The Bahama Journal
A5
Wendall K. Jones
Publisher/Chief Executive Officer
Kimaley P. Jones
Vice President/Operations
I A L
terrified,” Ingraham said. “We got to his
house, and it started breaking up. We had
to leave from there, and we all went to
my sister’s house. Then that started dete-
riorating, so we had to leave from there.
We ended up spending the next two days
inside a liquor store, sleeping on the floor
on some boards.”
Outside, as the sun emerged, Marsh
Harbour was in tatters, with most build-
ings obliterated. “When I walked down
the street, through the business area that
I’ve known so well for 30 years, I
thought, ‘Where am I?’ ” Ingraham said.
“Everything was gone.”
The lucky ones — those who survived
their homes imploding and were not
dragged out to sea — had almost nothing.
Many fled to Nassau, the capital to the
south. Thousands, like Ingraham, have
fled to the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
officials say approximately 3,900 evac-
uees from the Bahamas have landed in
nearby Florida, a sizable number of them
U.S. citizens. Without offering specifics,
a CBP spokesman said “a very small
number” of Bahamians have been turned
away — largely because they were
unable to pass criminal background
checks or were otherwise inadmissible.
Ingraham fled the Bahamas for the
United States via the wealthy benefactor
in Florida who had offered to fly her out
ahead of the storm. Nicholas
Mastroianni, a Florida developer and
businessman, had vacationed in the
Bahamas for more than two decades, and
the people he met there became close
friends.
When Mastroianni flew in to rescue
Ingraham and her family, he saw the utter
devastation from above. Houses broken
into sticks. Every tree gone. Caskets in a
cemetery sitting aboveground, raised out
of the earth by the storm surge.
“The loss of life there is tremendous,”
Mastroianni said. “Marsh Harbour is
gone, it’s rubble. There are bodies every-
where. There’s no green left at all.”
On that first trip, he brought Ingraham
and about 45 others to Jupiter, a seaside
town in Palm Beach County, Fla. But he
felt he had to take more people away
from what was left of Marsh Harbour.
Mastroianni has since spent $350,000
of personal funds and has directed an
additional $700,000 from the
Mastroianni Family Foundation to help in
Dorian rescue efforts. He chartered three
cargo planes, two helicopters and two
passenger planes to get supplies in and
evacuees out.
“We’re now a full-blown rescue and
cargo mission,” he said. “One of the big
needs is medical. We’re running doctors
and nurses to the people in the outer
islands.”
He estimated that his planes are taking
50,000 pounds of cargo to the hard-hit
northern islands daily and that he has
evacuated more than 200 Bahamians.
Dozens of them are staying as his guests
in the Wyndham Grand Jupiter at
Harbourside Place, the retail area
Mastroianni developed, where rooms
during the winter season go for $620 a
night.
His foundation has helped place other
refugees with family members in Florida.
g See page 6...
A6

Displaced Persons National

NationalNEWS
The Bahama Journal
Monday - September 16th, 2019

Registration Desk Inspiration

Relocated
BY LEAH COOPER Needed
Journal Staff Writer
The Department of
Rehabilitative Welfare
Services announced this
past weekend that the dis-
placed persons registra-
tion desk at Odyssey
Aviation is closed.
In a press release
issued on Saturday, the
department indicated that
partners and NGO’s in
collaboration with the
Department of Social
Services.”
The registration desk
was also staffed by more
than 50 trained volunteers
working on shifts, regis-
tered approximately 6,854
people arriving to the cap-
ital by air from both
Abaco and Grand Bahama
between September 5 -13,
used to track the move-
ment of displaced people
g Continued from / PAGE 1... establish a new life while they recover
from the affected areas
from an unthinkable trauma.
and helps to provide accu-
Mastroianni said he asked other business- “I would like to further my career
rate numbers on hurricane
survivors. es to help out, and many have come here, find a job here,” said Petra Rolle,
Displaced persons who through with donations of goods and 24, who was a chef at the Baker’s Bay
have not registered are money. resort. She is staying at Mastroianni’s
now advised to register at The Grand Celebration cruise ship, Wyndham Grand hotel, having heard
the Department of which normally offers two-night trips to about him from co-workers. “I lost
Rehabilitative Welfare the Bahamas, picked up hundreds of everything. I don’t have anything left,”
Services on University refugees and brought them to the Port of she said. “The hurricane was horrible. I
Drive. Palm Beach on Sept. 7. had to fight for my life, and for my

Gov't Stops Abaco

the registration desk was
headed by “a collective
group of private citizens,
2019.
According to the press
release, this process was
The department is open “We left with 300 tons of supplies and
from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., 400 volunteers, and we brought back
Monday to Saturday. 1,400 Bahamians,” said Anita Mitchell, a
spokeswoman for the ship’s owner, the
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. Mitchell
mom’s life. We were stuck for two days
in an unfinished house. The water was
waist-deep. The roads were blocked.
There were people who couldn’t walk
through the water, who couldn’t swim.”

Shantytowns from
said most of those refugees went to the
homes of family members who live in
Florida.
Palm Beach County is providing tem-
Livingston Cornish, 59, who was on
the maintenance crew at Baker’s Bay and
is now staying in Jupiter, said he is con-
cerned about his future, not knowing

Rebuilding
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
Order is to allow for recovery efforts
and the removal of storm debris relat-
ed to Hurricane Dorian.
This Order is made in accordance
with Section 24 (1)(b) of the
Planning and Subdivision Act, 2010
and the Planning and Subdivision
(Prohibition to Build) (Abaco) Order,
2019.
As previously indicated by Prime
Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert
Minnis, the Government intends to
provide initial temporary accommo-
dation for all affected residents in
safe alternative locations on Abaco.
The Order is valid for six months
but may be extended for further peri-
ods of up to six months as required.
porary housing for about 60 refugees,
county spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda
said.
“We’re working with them while they
reconnect with their families and
friends,” De La Rionda said.
Reconnecting has been a difficult
aspect of the recovery in the Bahamas —
many who were in Marsh Harbour when
the hurricane hit were left without
phones, and tens of thousands are home-
less. Bahamian officials have said the
official death toll stands at about 50, but
they expect that to rise significantly as
recovery workers sift through the wide-
spread wreckage. Thousands are still list-
ed as missing.
Some of those who have made their
way to the United States are hoping to
when — if ever — it will be possible to
move back to his home.
“I try to take it day by day,” Cornish
said. “Everything needs to be cleaned up.
There are a lot of dead bodies. … I would
like to get a job here in Florida so I can
have funds to go back to the Bahamas.”
Ingraham said she is grateful that she
and her family are together and safe in
Jupiter, but like Cornish and Rolle, she is
worried.
“We have nothing to go back to. Every
one of my family members lost their
homes. I really, really want to see my
islands built up and come back, but it’s
not going to happen for a while,”
Ingraham said. “Every day I wake up
with tears in my eyes, thinking, what’s
next?”
 Hurricane Dorian
Categor y ‘Hell’
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
Gutteres added that
the hurricane was pow-
PLP Wants Climate Change
ered by human action.
“Nature is angry. We
need to show nature that
we respect it. We need to
be able to change course
and to adopt the policies
and the measures that are
necessary for climate
Refugees Discussion at UNGA
g Continued from / PAGE 1...
make the issue of climate
change front and center
at the UN General
Assembly.
“At the UN, the gov-
ernment must also posit
the beginning of discus-
sions on the bilateral
responsibilities of
Canada, the United States
and Mexico for climate
change refugees,” he
action to prevail,” he
said.
Next week, the United
Nations will host its 74th
General Assembly in
New York and climate
change will be the focus.
In addition to the UN
General Assembly, the
Climate Action Summit
will be the highlight of
the meeting
said.
“That is really what is
behind the desire of our
citizens today, to move to
the United States after
what happened to them in
Abaco and Grand
Bahama with this hurri-
cane.
“President Donald
Trump and Governor
DeSantis in Florida may
be able to stem the tide of
that discussion in the
NationalNEWS
According to the UN,
Guterres wants world
leaders to come to New
York with concrete, real-
istic plans to enhance
their nationally deter-
mined contributions by
2020, in line with reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emis-
sions by 45 percent over
the next decade and to
net zero emissions by
short term. But in the
larger term, it is one that
must be had and the
Bahamas needs to initiate
it.”
At the center, Mr.
Mitchell said, is the
moral obligation.
He added that compen-
sation is owed to those
who are in low-lying
states like The Bahamas
for what industrialized
countries like the United
Monday - September 16th, 2019
2050.
“Global emissions are
reaching record levels
and show no sign of
peaking. The last four
years were the four
hottest on record and
winter temperatures in
the Arctic have risen by
three degrees Celsius
since 1990. Sea levels are
rising, coral reefs are
States did, using the free
air to pump hydro car-
bons into the air for free.
“The answer is the
U.S., Canada, and
Mexico have a moral
obligation to provide a
haven, if as predicted,
climate change is exis-
tential for The Bahamas
and other small island
developing states in this
region,” he said.
“The small island
The Bahama Journal
dying and we are starting
to see the life-threatening
impact of climate change
on health, through air
pollution, heat waves and
risks to food security,”
the UN said.
“The impacts of cli-
mate change are being
felt everywhere and are
having very real conse-
quences on people’s
developing states in the
Pacific, some of them
have already had that
conversation with the
governments of New
Zealand and Australia. In
other words, if those
countries in the Pacific
are overwhelmed, their
populations would be
able to move to Australia
or New Zealand.”
Mr. Mitchell insisted
that Minister of Foreign
A7
lives. Climate change is
disrupting national
economies, costing us
dearly today and even
more tomorrow. But
there is a growing recog-
nition that affordable,
scalable solutions are
available now that will
enable us all to leapfrog
to cleaner, more resilient
economies.”
Affairs Darren Henfield
raised this issue with the
United States, Canada
and Mexico.
His comments come
after United Nations
Secretary General
Antonio Guterres warned
about the effects of the
climate crisis in The
Bahamas and asked all
leaders come to the
Climate Summit with
plans, not speeches.
A8
GB Disaster Foundation Brings Relief to
The Bahama Journal
Monday - September 16th, 2019
Residents Impacted by Hurricane Dorian
Organization Prepares Second Phase of Multi-Layered Relief Plan
In the immediate after-
math of Hurricane
Dorian, the Grand
Bahama Disaster Relief
Foundation (GBDRF) -
the organization formed
by the Directors of Grand
Bahama Port Authority
(GBPA) to oversee relief
efforts - quickly sprang
into action to meet the
needs of impacted resi-
dents. With the help of its
many partners, the
GBDRF has spearheaded
a series of rescue opera-
tions, particularly in the
hard-hit East End, in
addition to providing
water, food, clothing, and
other relief items to
Grand Bahamian fami-
lies.
“Once the emergency
food and water aid strate-
gy was locked down, we
then turned our attention
to providing medical
care,” said Joe Oliver,
Outreach Coordinator
with the GBDRF. “That
has involved treating
patients with ruptured
stomach ulcers, to taking
the necessary precautions
to prevent diseases like
gangrene and tetanus or
any other sort of infec-
tions.” Working with doc-
Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture
tors from the Rand
Memorial Hospital, the
team established proto-
cols to provide immedi-
ate medical attention,
Present Junior Junkanoo Awards
The Ministry of Youth,
Sports and Culture
(MOYSC) recognized
schools throughout The
Bahamas for their accom-
plishments in the 2018
Junior Junkanoo
Competition, Thursday,
September 12th, 2019 at
the National Training
Agency, Gladstone Road.
Students and teachers,
representing pre, primary,
junior and senior high
school divisions, accepted
their prizes for their
achievements in various
categories during the
31st Junior Junkanoo
Awards Presentation
sponsored by the
MOYSC, the NJC and Sol
Petroleum Bahamas Ltd.
The categories included:
Best Banner, Best Music,
Best Choreography, Best
Overall, Best Off the
Shoulder and Best Free
Dancer.
Scholars Academy Pre-
School, Noble
Preparatory Academy and
Jordan Prince William,
two senior high schools,
made their debut to Junior
Junknaoo in the 2018
competition.
The Best Off the
Shoulder and Best Free
Dancer categories were
introduced to Junkanoo
for the first time.
Tarpum Bay Primary
School received the
awards for Best Off the
Shoulder and Best Free
Dancer in the primary
division, L. W. Young
Junior High School
4Acting President of the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation (GBDRF) Rupert Hayward poses alongside the organization's
logistics manager Noel Clarke after clearing recent containers of donated items from local and international partners.
using various donated
vehicles to reach the far-
flung parts of the island
with the necessary med-
ical care.
To date, the GBDRF
has successfully cleared
some 20 containers of
donated items that will be
distributed to residents
over the next several
weeks. “We’ve been
working closely with the
Department of Customs
who have been extremely
helpful in making the
process a smooth one,”
noted GBDRF Logistics
Manager, Noel Clarke.
4 Junior Junkanoo Awards Ceremony, September 12, 2019 at National Training Agency. (BIS Photos/Kemuel Stubbs)
received first place
awards (Junior High
School) for Best Off the
Shoulder and Best Free
Dancer; and Government
High School won first
place (Senior High
School) for Best Off the
Shoulder and Best Free
Dancer. The overall win-
ners were as follows:
Pre-school: 1st place –
The Big Apple Pre
School, Primary School:
1st place – Tarpum Bay
Primary, Junior High
School: 1st place – L. W.
Young Junior High
NationalNEWS
(Photo:GBDRF/Barefoot Marketing)
“Many of the customs
officers themselves have
been severely impacted
by the storm and even in
such cases, they have
worked along with us to
ensure that we can pro-
vide relief for as many
persons as possible.”
Now, the organization
headed by GBPA
Executive Director
Rupert Hayward is
preparing to launch a sec-
ond wave of relief
focused on the rebuild
and restoration of
Freeport and its sur-
rounding settlements.
School, Senior High
School: 1st place-
Government High School
The Hon. Lanisha
Rolle, Minister of Youth,
Sports and Culture
thanked the schools and
participants, and said the
ceremony provided an
opportunity to recognize
the hard work, sacrifice,
dedication, talent and
significant contributions
the young people have
made in their prepara-
tions and performance at
the Junior Junknaoo
parade.
“We’ve got a secure sup-
ply chain through our dis-
tribution network and
we’re getting donated
supplies onto the island,
sorted and distributed to
those in need,” explained
Hayward. “Our second-
ary function now is to
bring in building sup-
plies.”
According to
Hayward, the organiza-
tion will, in the coming
weeks and months seek to
engage construction com-
panies based on Grand
Bahama in an effort to
provide employment
She recognized the
Cowbellers, drummers,
dancers, designers, musi-
cians, all parade partici-
pants and reminded them
as they received their
awards, to strengthen
themselves to keep mov-
ing.
“You made our coun-
try proud. With you, your
talent, your inspiration,
your dedication, the
future and culture of
Junkanoo is secure.”
She acknowledged
parents, teachers, coordi-
nators and instructors for
opportunities for the
scores of affected
Bahamians. “Our next
steps will focus on two
key things: one, provid-
ing adequate housing,
which for us means mak-
ing it possible for Grand
Bahamians to move back
into their own homes and
two, creating an environ-
ment where Bahamians
can get back to work and
earn a decent living as
well.”
Through its website
www.gbdisasterrelief.org
, the organization will
continue the work of
their time, efforts, invest-
ments and resources
imparted to the young
people to ensure preser-
vation of a “significant”
aspect of the country’s
cultural heritage. She
assured them that their
labour is not in vain.
“Because of your love,
The Bahamas can rest
assured that Junkanoo
will continue moving
forward,” she said.
Minister Rolle
remarked that the
MOYSC is advancing
efforts to enhance the
soliciting and importing
important relief supplies.
“The next layer of care
will be to procure and
provide building materi-
als like tarps, nails ham-
mers and everything in
between” he noted. “The
hope is that we can work
on homes that are still
viable and make them
liveable and safe until a
full rebuild can be done.”
Hurricane Dorian
made landfall over Abaco
and Grand Bahama
islands from September 1
to 2. The monster system
rated as a Category 5 on
the Saffir-Simpson scale
brought with it sustained
wind speeds of approxi-
mately 185 miles per
hour (mph), which result-
ed in unprecedented and
catastrophic destruction
including at least 43 con-
firmed deaths so far. The
monster storm rated a
Category 5 on the Saffir-
Simpson Hurricane Wind
Scale—damaged an esti-
mated 13,000 homes in
The Northern Bahamas,
along with countless
businesses. The Grand
Bahama Port Authority
and the Grand Bahama
Disaster Relief
Organization remain
committed to rebuilding
Freeport and restoring the
Grand to Grand Bahama
Island.
product and experience
of Junkanoo and provide
ways and opportunities
to further showcase the
wonders of the culture
both locally and through
the creation of global
connections.
“My Ministry seeks to
nurture an environment
that promotes and facili-
ties multiple and multi-
faceted opportunities for
the growth and develop-
ment of the art, industry
and the community of
Junkanoo,” she added.