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The
Commonwealth of the Bahamas comprises an archipelago of 700
low-lying islands spread out over 100,000 square miles. This
makes the country highly susceptible to hurricanes, storms,
flooding, coastal erosion and anticipated sea level rise.
Droughts and contamination of aquifers are another major hazard.
Fresh water is provided by a fresh water lens overlying the
salt water, and there are no streams and rivers on any of
the islands.
The most recent severe hurricanes include Hurricane Andrew
in 1992, Hurricane Floyd in 1999, Hurricane Michelle in 2001
and Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004. Hurricane Francis
was particularly devastating in that it was the first since
1886 to impact the entire archipelago. Because of its slow
motion and very large eye of roughly 140 kilometres in diameter,
the centre of circulation stayed over the northwestern part
of the country for three days. Two people were killed and
around 700 were displaced. Significant property damage occurred
throughout the country, destroying houses and sea walls, and
damaging infrastructure, the water supply, electricity and
telecommunications systems. A USAID Disaster Assistance Response
Team had arrived before Frances struck, and was able to quickly
establish impact and needs assessments. Hurricane Jeanne struck
less than three weeks later, only adding to the damage of
the already weakened homes and infrastructure. Around 2500
people were evacuated to emergency shelters, and no deaths
or injuries occurred.
Community awareness of and participation in disaster management,
planning and mitigation has recently been significantly heightened
by Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training seminars.
The seminars aim at using a comprehensive approach to disaster
management by taking into account all of the hazards that
can impact the Bahamas and by training entire communities
to be better prepared, and respond rapidly before professional
help arrives. Sponsored by the United States Embassy and the
National Emergency Management Agency, this is currently the
only country outside of the United States to have a functioning
CERT team.
Hazard
maps have been prepared for storm surge and seismic hazards.
The Bahamas was the first Caribbean country with mandatory
building codes. A coastal zone management program is now being
considered which will comprise improved building and zoning
codes in the coastal areas especially. A national disaster
preparedness manual is being designed for use in schools. |
