The Tribune

Seven years after Hurricane Dorian, the grief remains deeply personal for many Bahamian families.

The Category Five hurricane made landfall on Great Abaco on September 1, 2019, with estimated winds of 185mph. It then moved slowly across the north-western Bahamas, subjecting communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama to catastrophic storm surge and extreme winds for more than 48 hours.

At least 70 people were killed. Others disappeared without their remains being recovered, leaving some families without the closure that even a death certificate might provide.

This week’s ceremony outside the Office of the Prime Minister was therefore important. The nation should continue to remember those who died, recognise the suffering of survivors and honour the courage of first responders, volunteers, churches and international partners.

Prime Minister Philip Davis also offered the correct larger message: preparation is not a choice, resilience is a responsibility and no settlement should be left behind.

Those words should now become a standard against which national progress can be measured.

The Bahamas has learned much since Dorian. Emergency agencies have gained experience, communications providers have worked to strengthen their networks, and public awareness of evacuation and sheltering has improved.

Communities themselves are also more conscious of the speed with which conditions can become deadly.

But institutional memory can fade. Personnel change, emergency supplies expire, generators fail through lack of maintenance and written plans become outdated. Seven years without another Dorian-scale catastrophe can create a dangerous sense that there will always be more time.

There may not be.

The Government should publish an annual national resilience report before the peak of every hurricane season. It should state clearly which shelters have been inspected, how many meet modern structural and accessibility standards, where emergency supplies are stored and which communities remain without adequate evacuation options.

Each Family Island should have a current emergency plan covering communications, medical evacuations, food and water distribution, debris removal and the restoration of electricity.

The status of emergency shelters requires particular attention. A building designated as a shelter should not be assumed safe merely because it appeared on a list in previous years. Its roof, windows, electrical system, sanitation facilities and backup power should be inspected and certified.

Communications must also be built with failure in mind.

Dorian demonstrated the danger of relying on systems that share the same vulnerable infrastructure. Emergency agencies and telecommunications providers should ensure that affected islands have redundant connections, satellite equipment and independent power sources capable of operating when commercial networks fail.

Preparedness must extend to households and businesses. Families should know the nearest safe shelter and decide early whether they will evacuate. Businesses should protect records, maintain insurance where affordable and establish plans for contacting employees after a disaster.

Building codes must be enforced consistently. Requiring stronger construction may increase initial costs, but rebuilding poorly constructed homes after every major storm costs far more in the long run.

The country must also complete the unfinished administrative work surrounding Dorian. Families who lost relatives deserve clarity about outstanding death certificates and the official record. That should be handled with sensitivity, urgency and regular communication.

A formal inquiry was once discussed but not pursued. Whether through an inquiry or a comprehensive independent review, the country still needs a consolidated public account of what failed, what worked and which recommendations have been implemented.

This should not become an exercise in assigning partisan blame. Dorian exposed weaknesses accumulated over decades and tested every institution beyond anything previously experienced.

The purpose of studying failure is to prevent its repetition.

Ceremonies preserve memory. Preparedness gives that memory practical meaning. The most fitting tribute to those lost in Hurricane Dorian would be a Bahamas better equipped to protect every life when the next great storm arrives.