The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

USING conch shells in concrete mixes and slabs was exposed as especially "ill-advised" when Hurricane Matthew smashed into North Andros, a storm impact report has revealed.

An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report on the damages and economic losses stemming from the October 2016 storm revealed that weak Code enforcement, and construction costs that were 30 per cent higher than New Providence, rendered Family Island structures especially vulnerable to hurricanes.

Pegging damage to the Bahamian housing sector at just over $200 million, the IDB report said: "Building standards in the Bahamas are higher than in practically all United States hurricane zones, including the very tough standards of South Florida.

"The present Code was issued in 2003, and its use is mandatory for design and construction of all buildings, including private dwellings and public buildings. However, the lack of qualified inspectors to conduct structural inspections in more remote areas contributes to substandard construction and structural deficiencies. This is likely to contribute to major damage in future events."

The lack of enforcement, the IDB report said, manifested itself in the severe damage inflicted by Hurricane Matthew in north Andros, which was hit by storm surges as high as nine to 12 feet in locations such as Lowe Sound and Conch Sound.

"During the field visit, the team observed on several occasions that beach sand was being used for the preparation of concrete," the report said. "Salts adsorbed to the sand reduce the durability of reinforced concrete structures.

"In plain concrete or mortar for plaster, this may be less detrimental. However, beach sand has other attributes that limit its desirability, including aggregate shape and size. Beach sand tends to be very fine and rounded, which is not advisable for making mixes."

The IDB assessment continued: "Another ill-advised practice observed was the used of conch shells in concrete mixes, and as the main filler material for concrete slabs.

"These shells are abundant and inexpensive, making them popular for use in filling and preparing concrete, instead of a more appropriate aggregate. However, when economy demands, conch shells are used, and their use is adequate so long as this complies with respective codes of practice."

The IDB warned that higher construction costs in the Family Island, due to extra transportation costs and the scarcity of skilled labour, were contributing to the problem of sub-standard properties.

"In the Family Islands, construction costs are about 30 per cent higher than in New Providence," the report added. "The cost of transporting building materials to the Family Islands by boat contributes to a situation in which many contractors and owners are building below required standards.

"In Andros, a high percentage of houses are built of timber and plywood, due to lack of materials and aggregates for masonry construction.... Poorly-engineered structures, particularly homes, were the most extensively damaged.

"As on the other islands, the houses most frequently destroyed or severely damaged were older homes. The team observed that some homes had inadequate pier foundations or a complete lack of pier reinforcement, causing severe structural damages."

The IDB report also identified concerns over centralised control over hurricane relief efforts by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Nassau, which was blamed for delaying the distribution of supplies and release of funds.

"Several officials in affected islands expressed concerns about the highly-centralised nature of the disaster response, with local efforts hampered by the need to wait for NEMA or other officials in Nassau to direct the distribution of supplies and use of relief funds," the assessment revealed.

"In Grand Bahama, there was a concern that relief supplies were directed through the airport in Nassau instead of directly to Freeport. This created delays and additional complication in the effort to provide relief to the affected population."

Citing practical examples, the IDB report found: "In Andros, local officials said they experienced delays accessing and directing relief funds due to the need to seek prior approval from Nassau.

"For example, there was a need to hire local people to retrieve coffins and corpses that had been scattered when a cemetery was impacted by storm-surge, but local officials did not have immediate access to funds to do so.

"In another example, a school administrator used her personal funds to establish a bank account to finance expenses relating to relocation of a school that had been heavily damaged. It was anticipated that funding for these activities would eventually be provided by the government, but there was a need to cover expenses incurred before such funding became available.

"Officials in Andros recommended the establishment of a mechanism to ensure that district governments have early access to funds that they are able to control in an immediate post-disaster situation."

The IDB report also noted that while all information flows to NEMA, this is not distributed to stakeholders "in a timely manner".