Section:GDN 1J PaGe:5 Edition Date:190907 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 6/9/2019 17:45 cYanmaGentaYellowblac
Saturday 7 September 2019 The Guardian •
5
An existential
threat faces
the Bahamas
We have three full months left in this hurricane
season, but two of the country’s largest economic
contributors and heavi ly populated Family Islands have
already been simultaneously attacked and decimated
to some extent. The gravity of this has not yet set in.
Will we have to go through this again? Can we
continue to sustain this way of living? Our small-
island developing state currently grapples with high
unemployment , challenges in generating economic
growth and a vulnerability to natural disasters. These
are the questions and concerns we face in the aftermath
of another deadly storm.
How much more can one island nation take?
Despite continued eff orts for growth and a thirst
for stability in the islands, the Bahamas are always
threatened by hurricanes – every year, in the period
between 1 June and 30 November. What else can we do
but remain resilient and continue to build stronger?
Scientists have warned that climate change is
shaping tropical systems. Global carbon emissions
reached all–time highs during 2018, and global surface
temperatures are likely to increase the intensity of
storms. Over the past three years many other countries
in the region, including Dominica , Jamaica and Cuba,
have met similar disastrous fates with the passage of
hurricanes. Our islands are in need of global support
to ward off possible extinction.
Today we weep for the trauma and devastation
that ha ve visited our shores. Our hearts ache at the
survivors’ tales being recounted and the number of
people not yet accounted for. The country is on edge,
our nerves are frayed, and we just want relief for our
fellow countrymen. We still do not know exactly how
many people are dead or how many may still be trapped,
holding out for rescue. The fear is that the loss of life
will be “ staggering ”.
In real time, Bahamians throughout the archipelago
Sloan Smith
is a former
reporter for
the Nassau
Guardianfortunate enough to escape Dorian’s wrath held their
breath and watched in horror as familiar streets and
homes were swallowed by the rising tide, and memories
of generations birthed were washed away.
There was just no preparing for this monstrous
storm. Roofs were blown off shingle by shingle ; vehicles
were overturned and submerged in water ; and buildings
were disassembled, ripped down to their skeletons
and toppled like playing cards. The boundaries where
the ocean and land had once met were erased. The sea
moved inland and the sharks with it. The water moved
in fast and ferociously, smothering everything in its
path. The sheer force of the surge burst into living
rooms, invading the inner crevices of people’s property.
People huddled into ceiling and attic spaces to wait out
the rampage, their futures uncertain.
After Hurricane Dorian, the normal procedures
of disaster prevention, preparation and mitigation
will simply not be suffi cient. We are now facing the
diff erence between living and surviving. It is paramount
that the ways forward prioriti se resilience-building,
fi ghting climate change and the preservation of life.
The devastation of Dorian will be recorded in the
country’s history, alongside the tales of the Great Abaco
hurricane of 1932 and the 1926 hurricanes. It is my
hope that the world will not get disaster fatigue and
the Bahamas will not be forgotten. We are still in grave
need of international support.
N asa astronaut Scott Kelly called the Bahamas “the
most beautiful place from space”. In my biased opinion,
that real-world imagery ought to be preserved.
While it remains unclear what the future of Grand
Bahama and the Abacos will be, or what the long-term
impacts of this storm will have on Bahamians, what is
certain is that there is only one way forward. We must
move upward, onward and together to rebuild. It’s
only a matter of how long it will take.Sloan
Smith
W
e had gone through this
countless times. On the eve
that Dorian made landfall in
the Bahamas, we knew the
drill. Board up your home ,
secure your belongings and
stock up on food, water,
non-perishable items and
the good snacks. Bahamians had faced down the
merciless beatings of Hurricane Andrew, Frances,
Jeanne, Wilma, Joaquin , Matthew , Irma and more.
We thought we knew the score. But no one could
anticipate that mother nature could be this angry and
cruel. Once the water subsides, the debris is cleared
and the bodies are counted, what hope will be left for
the Abacos and Grand Bahama?RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws