Hurricane Dorian

A PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE FIRST FOURTEEN DAYS © Bahamas Strong Alliance Nassau, Bahamas 2020

Executive Editor: Susan Larson Editors: Julia Roberts, Cathleen LeGrand

Contributors:

Keywords: Hurricane Dorian, The Bahamas, Abaco, Grand Bahama, Bahamas Strong, Emergency Response, Disaster Relief, Private Sector, Public-Private Partnership

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Page 1 of 83 DISCLAIMER

This report is not an ofﬁcial report of the Government of The Bahamas.

Further, this report does not portray the totality of effort mobilized by the private sector in response to Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas.

Its focus is limited to a time and place: the fourteen-day period of activity between September 2-15, 2019, largely centered at the Odyssey Aviation Hangar, Nassau and including the marine response which occurred on the seas.

DRAFTThis report is based on the notes, messages and recollections of private individuals and is offered as a learning resource to improve emergency preparedness and response in The Bahamas.

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Page 2 of 83 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE SECTION PAGE

Acronyms 5 Chapter 6: Medical Response 36

Executive Summary 6 — First Response 36

Chapter 1: Introduction 10 — Medical Supplies 38

— An Unprecedented Storm 10 — Medical Evacuation 38

— Dorian’s Impact 12 — Medical Zone at Odyssey 39

Chapter 2: The Core Group 16 Chapter 7: The Evacuation Centre 41

— Origin of the Core Group 16 — Overview 41

— Team Leaders and Areas of Focus 18 — Master Evacuee Log 43

— Merging of the Private Sector Partners 19 — Luggage 44

— Initial Coordination 20 — Evacuee Welcome Centre 46

— Timeline Highlights 22 — Shelters and Temporary Housing 47

Chapter 3: Emergency First Response 23 — Mental Health and Support 52

— Global Support and Development 23 — Animal Rescue and Evacuation 52 Chapter 4: Air ResponseDRAFT26 — Pet Care 54 — Odyssey Aviation 26 Chapter 8: Security 57

— Private Aircraft 26 — Security at the Main Gate 57

— Coordination 27 — Security at the Hangar 58

Chapter 5: Marine Response 30 Chapter 9: Emergency Aid Logistics 60

— Overview 30 — Overview 60

— Coordination in North Eleuthera 30 — Emergency Aid by Sea 62

— Marine Response Flotilla 31 — Matching Aid to Evolving Needs 63 Chapter 10: Coordinating NGOs 66

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SECTION PAGE

Chapter 11: Select Lessons and Recommendations 68 — Public Private Partnerships 68 — Communication 69

— Evacuation 72 — International NGOs 73 — Humanitarian Aid, Cargo and Logistics 74 — Expanding Capacity Across the Board 76 Appendix I: Bahamas Strong Alliance 77 Appendix II: The Wider Response to Hurricane Dorian Submission Requirements 78 Appendix III: Methodology 80 Bibliography DRAFT 81

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Page 4 of 83 ACRONYMS

ATC Air Trafﬁc Control (Nassau International Airport)

BCAA Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority

CBC Caribbean Bottling Company Ltd.

EWC Evacuees’ Welcome Center (at Odyssey Aviation) established by the private sector

FAA Federal Aviation Administration (USA)

FBO Fixed Base Operator (an enterprise given authority by an airport to own aviation services)

FMC Family Medicine Center

GOB Government of The Bahamas

GSD Global Support & Development (international disaster ﬁrst responders)

NDA Non-disclosure agreement

NGO Non-governmental organization (national and international)

NHC National Hurricane Center (USA)

OCHA United Nations Ofﬁce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

OPM Ofﬁce of the Prime Minister, The Bahamas PHADRAFTPublic Hospitals Authority RBDF Royal Bahamas Defense Force

RBPF Royal Bahamas Police Force

TFR Temporary Flight Restriction

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Page 5 of 83 Private Sector Response to Hurricane Dorian

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As important as this focused publication Through the lens of the ﬁrst fourteen days is, BAHAMAS STRONG knows there is a bigger story to tell. This report tells the story of a core group of hurricane on record in the open Atlantic. It

Therefore, Bahamas Strong invites all independent private sector businesses and spared Nassau, the capital, but levelled national and international NGOs and the volunteers whose supplemental efforts communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama. wider private sector to contribute to a provided crucial coordination, support, and comprehensive report on response and emergency response to the people and The timeline of this report takes place recovery in Abaco and Grand Bahama post- communities on Abaco and Grand Bahama in between September 2nd and September Dorian. Capturing these many and diverse 15th, 2019, the 14-day period after the storm efforts is important for numerous reasons: the wake of Hurricane Dorian (Dorian). The not only does the record and your efforts core group was able to quickly mobilize hit Abaco and moved west to Grand deserve to be preserved, but the many people, property, and funds to support an Bahama. This initial period was marked by lessons learned by multiple players across emergency response. While efforts were tremendous uncertainty. Within days of many weeks and months will guide centred at Odyssey Aviation, a Fixed-base Dorian's impact, the private sector core resilience building, enhanceDRAFT preparedness, Operator (FBO) located in the southeastern group had created thematic teams that and help us to be more effective in our emergency response moving forward. corner of Nassau’s International Airport, also collectively encompassed several hundred included in this report are highlights of the people and many businesses. The core The timeframe of the comprehensive report critical rescue and evacuation activity group constantly adapted to respond to is the six-month period from September 2, conducted by sea. emerging problems and dynamic situations. 2019, to February 28, 2020. For more information, including accessing the Dorian was a catastrophic Category 5 Typically, the private sector holds a large template required for submissions, please go to www.bahamasstrong.org or email hurricane. With sustained winds of 185 mph, percentage of infrastructure, resources, [email protected]. See Appendix II Dorian is the strongest tropical cyclone to goods, services, and personnel in any for more information. ever hit The Bahamas and the most powerful community. This reality highlights the value of

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Page 6 of 83 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

government partnerships with the private sector in relief efforts. • Coordinated a fully-supported and equipped marine The private sector can mobilize swiftly, is likely to make fast response team, comprised of over 22 private vessels, many decisions regarding the redirection of its own resources, and of which transitioned from Nassau to North Eleuthera and, usually has simple, existing methods for guaranteeing payments to from there, carried out sea evacuations from Marsh Harbour other providers to obtain relief items promptly. The private sector and the Abaco Cays. can take quick action without the administrative burdens and bureaucratic requirements of the public sector. After any disaster, • Created a fully-functioning Evacuee Registration Centre and the success of a relief effort is inﬂuenced by how quickly and an Evacuee Welcome Centre (EWC) at Odyssey Aviation, effectively resources are mobilized in response. through which passed approximately 6,800 displaced persons arriving by air and sea from the Abacos and Grand The core group teams worked independently as well as Bahama. collaboratively in multiple streams of relief. The following can be attributed to Core Group leadership: • Organized a disaster relief warehousing and logistics centre.

• Arrival of a vessel at Marsh Harbour Government Dock • Implemented a medical centre, integrated with the National delivering emergency medical personnel, additional GSD Drug Plan, and able to provide prescription drugs for 60-90 responders, andDRAFT thousands of pounds of equipment, water days to evacuees arriving at the Evacuee Registration Center. and general humanitarian aid. • Emptied a loading bay at Odyssey Aviation and coordinated • Established an Air Traffic Control (ATC) room manned by ATC the setup of a government triage centre there. staff at Odyssey Aviation. • Assisted government and foreign NGOs with multiple trips to • Established a Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) office Grand Bahama and Abaco by organising private airplanes at the Odyssey Aviation hangar and coordinated Temporary and helicopters, and local ground transportation. This Flight Restrictions (TFR) clearance for private aircraft with assistance included airlift for government officials (the Prime BCAA. Minister, Members of Parliament, Senators, Directors, Permanent Secretaries, former Prime Ministers, etc.), RBPF,

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Page 7 of 83 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

RBDF, government doctors and nurses, private doctors and private airplanes and helicopters to Abaco and Grand nurses, Jamaican police and defence force ofﬁcers, Bahama for relief drops; and coordinated receipt of relief veterinarians, foreign NGO volunteers, clergy, local press. drops with community leaders in each settlement.

• Coordinated relief supplies with foreign countries, NGOs, • Coordinated local and foreign press at Odyssey by erecting and companies; arranged Customs clearance, delivery to press tents and establishing news protocols to allow for Odyssey, and repackaging for redistribution; organised coverage while simultaneously protecting the dignity of the evacuees.

In the aftermath of natural disasters, multiple entities often descend upon the affected area. These entities, which include government agencies and national and international non-governmental organizations, work to execute their mandates in a stressed and dynamic environment, frequently with an incomplete picture of the scope of the disaster and with limited coordination with other entities. The result can DRAFTbe a complex and crowded landscape of organizations and unafﬁliated individuals, all with their own admirable missions to accomplish.

Many post-disaster cases from around the world suggest that the efforts of government agencies and international organizations are rarely enough to handle a major humanitarian crisis. Governmental capacity can be overwhelmed and gaps in service inevitably appear. Local FIGURE 1: Homes and forest devastation on Great Abaco Island, September 4, 2019. grassroots participation, the work of citizen volunteers and Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

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Page 8 of 83 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There are several goals of this report:

•Detail the critical roles the private sector played in the emergency response to Hurricane Dorian.

•Demonstrate the leverage and added value of public- private partnerships in post-disaster undertakings.

•Constructively identify vital gaps in the Dorian response and “learn from our mistakes” so they are never repeated.

•Improve national preparedness and response for the betterment of all The Bahamas.

•Capture the heroic accomplishments of hundreds of volunteers who rallied with courage and determination to FIGURE 2: A survivor criesDRAFT as she is greeted by members of her church after being respond. rescued and ﬂown to Nassau from devastated Abaco Island on September 4, 2019. Photo credit: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images •Honour the people of Abaco and Grand Bahama. In their hours of greatest need, Bahamians on other islands local stakeholders typically helps to bridge these gaps. The local responded in whatever way possible to help save lives and expertise and pre-existing networks of cooperation these demonstrate solidarity with them. We shared in their pain stakeholders bring to the table are vital to successful relief and and their loss. The Core Group did what we could to come to rebuilding. Public-private partnerships, including the spontaneous their aid. versions depicted in this report, bridge gaps, increase capacity, and accelerate the speed at which responses are made.

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Page 9 of 83 1. Introduction DONEC QUIS NUNC

An Unprecedented Storm

The Bahamas is an archipelago of more than 700 islands extending over 180,000 square miles in the Atlantic hurricane belt.

The islands are extremely ﬂat with an average elevation only a few feet above sea level. In fact, “80 percent of the landmass is within 5 ft (1.5 m) of mean sea level and coastal areas hold the majority of the population and economic activity” (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, n.d., p. 1).

Many populated areas of the country are prone to flooding during even moderateDRAFT rain storms. Beginning on August 27th, Dorian moved through the Windward and U.S. Virgin Islands as a tropical storm. By FIGURE 3: The Atlantic Hurricane Belt. Photo composite by Nilfanion - Background August 30th, it had developed into a Category 3 hurricane image from Whole world - land and oceans.jpg (NASA). Tracking data for storms is and took aim at Abaco. As the day progressed, it intensified from the National Hurricane Center. This map shows the tracks of all Atlantic quickly and unexpectedly and was upgraded to Category 4. hurricanes which formed between 1851 and 2012. Yet again, intensification continued and by 0500 hrs on September 1st, Hurricane Dorian made a direct hit on Abaco with the full force of a Category 5 storm.

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Page 10 of 83 INTRODUCTION

By midnight on September 1st, Dorian had moved westward onto the eastern end of Grand Bahama. There, it slowed down to a crawl, and then stopped. Dorian sat almost stationary over the island for nearly two days.

Owing to its size, Dorian kept Abaco in continued tropical storm conditions. Late in the day on September 3rd, the storm ﬁnally began to move clear of Grand Bahama.

Hurricane Dorian is the strongest DRAFTrecorded hurricane to ever make landfall in The Bahamas. It was a particularly unpredictable and unprecedented storm:

• Sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts up to 220 mph, among the highest e v e r r e c o r d e d f o r a hurricane making landfall. FIGURE 4: Hurricane Dorian’s Path Across The Bahamas, Credit: https://reliefweb.int/map/bahamas/hurricane- dorians-path-across-bahamas-last-updated-09182019 ______

Page 11 of 83 INTRODUCTION

• Central barometric pressure of 910 millibars | 26.87 inHg at landfall, signiﬁcantly lower than Hurricane Andrew’s in 1992 (922 mbar | 27.23 inHg). King Tide

• Dorian crawled at 1 mph then stalled for more than 36 hours, exposing Grand Bahama Any higher-than-usual high tide is popularly to an extended period of destructive winds and flooding. referred to as a “king tide.” Extreme high tides commonly cause tidal flooding in • Storm surge in excess of 20 feet, matched in The Bahamas only by the great hurricane of coastal areas around the world, damaging 1932, which also struck Abaco. property and eroding coastlines. The king tide associated with Hurricane Dorian was a • The perigean spring tide, often referred to as a “king tide”, coincided with the arrival of specific version — perigean spring tide. Dorian, adding to storm surge and subsequent flooding Spring tides occur twice per month throughout the year, in concert with the new • Hurricane models and forecasts did not predict how quickly Dorian would gain strength and full moons. Perigean tides occur once before hitting Abaco, nor how slowly it would move over Grand Bahama. per month, when the moon is at perigee, its closest point to the earth in its elliptical The intensity of the storm, its record-breaking gusts of wind, rain, and huge storm surge was orbit. When these two events — a spring tide compounded by the length of time it spent battering the northern Bahamas. When Dorian and perigean tide — coincide, the effect is finally moved north ofDRAFT Grand Bahama, surveillance flights and damage assessment began in amplified. earnest. The first views showed massive destruction of housing and infrastructure caused by Hurricane Dorian made landfall in Abaco on intense winds, impact of flying debris, and/or flooding. September 1st, the day after the moon was both new and at perigee. Dorian’s storm Dorian’s Impact surge and the already significantly higher tide of the perigean spring tide combined to catastrophic effect. On August 30th, the day before Dorian made landfall in Abaco, the Prime Minister of The Bahamas held a press conference and urged residents of Abaco and Grand Bahama to take all precautions and to prepare for a Category 3 storm. Those in the Abaco Cays and Eastern

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Page 12 of 83 INTRODUCTION

Grand Bahama were advised to evacuate to higher ground or inland areas that are safer from ﬂood waters.

But hurricanes have been woven into the annual cycle of life in The Bahamas. The norm is to prepare, then hunker down. As a result, many chose to ride out the storm, keeping a close eye on its progress. As they watched Dorian’s central barometric pressure start to drop, and then saw it continue to drop, those who had opted to ride the storm out began to grasp that staying put might have been a mistake.

Those fears were realised once Dorian made landfall on Sunday, September 1st, 2019, not as the Category 4 hurricane that was expected, but as a Category 5 monster storm. The average wind speed of Dorian was 185 mph and its storm surge equalled the height of a two-story building. The power of the stormDRAFT hurtling towards its target — small, FIGURE 6: An aerial view of damage caused by Hurricane Dorian in Abaco on low-lying islands in the northwest Bahamas — led to September 4, 2019. Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images immediate fear and predictions of great devastation. Dorian were shared widely in Nassau and quickly went viral over As soon as the storm hit, residents of Abaco began to share social media. The messages and images were terrifying and updates with their friends and families in Nassau using messaging created anxiety and concern throughout The Bahamas. When apps and social media. They captured videos and voice notes of communication out of Abaco was lost and the messages stopped, the wind, rain and rising storm surge, and of their own growing anxiety heightened further amongst those who could only watch panic as the storm intensiﬁed. These ﬁrst reports and videos of and worry and wait for Dorian to pass.

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Page 13 of 83 INTRODUCTION

Those earliest messages formed the first impressions of the devastation and prepared the outside world for the worst. The harrowing footage included desperate pleas for help and videos of many residents seeking refuge in their attics and on their roofs as flood waters rose to the second floor of their homes. Those images were heart wrenching and led to expectations of vast destruction and loss of life.

No rescues could be launched while hurricane conditions persisted and the fear and tension in The Bahamas continued to rise. In total, Dorian battered the northern Bahamas for three days. It ﬂooded large portions of Abaco and Grand Bahama, washing away entire communities. Roads were demolished or impassable. Communities were cut off and isolated. Much of eastern Grand Bahama was under water. DRAFT It is estimated that Dorian destroyed seventy percent of all buildings and structures in its path, leaving thousands FIGURE 7: Inundated areas of Grand Bahama, September 3, 2019. Source: ICEYE, homeless. The storm surge was so high and so persistent OpenStreetMap and The Washington Post that the water tables in Abaco and Grand Bahama were immediately rendered contaminated. The pre-Dorian salinity Runways were submerged and covered with debris, and content in the water table was 0.5 PSU; post-Dorian, the salinity communications towers were toppled. content was 7 PSU. The storm also left ports and docks unusable; harbours were littered with sunken vessels, cars, and in some cases The affected islands were two of the three most populated in the small buildings, making marine approaches highly dangerous. country and comprised almost 20% of the national population.

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Page 14 of 83 INTRODUCTION

Many of their residents now faced the winds, extraordinary storm surge, the more prospect of having lost everything. The than 36 inches of rain that fell in some areas, desperate need to evacuate two islands with and the long duration of the storm. Power such large populations added degrees of and communication infrastructure was badly difﬁculty to the response. The geography of damaged or destroyed. The resulting The Bahamas further complicated rescue communication barrier reduced situational and relief efforts. Great Abaco is surrounded awareness, created confusion and by many small islands and cays that can only duplication of effort, and made it even be reached by boat, seaplane, or helicopter. harder to coordinate relief.

Some of Dorian’s destruction was It was into this destruction and highly predictable. But the predictable damage uncertain landscape that the private sector DRAFTwas compounded by the extremely high stepped in to lend assistance.

FIGURE 5: NASA IMERG estimated rainfall accumulations for the region of The Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian from Aug 31 to Sept 4 2019. The imagery shows rainfall exceeded 36 inches in an area that included parts of Grand Bahama and Abaco. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

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Page 15 of 83 2. The Core Group DONEC QUIS NUNC

Origins of the Core Group

Mobilization of private sector relief efforts in New Providence began purchased to distribute to volunteers who publicized those on Monday, September 2nd. Spared the worst of the impact, the telephone numbers to the public. nation’s capital was still feeling the outer bands of the storm when a group of private individuals came together to organize an Civil Aviation, ATC, and Bahamas Customs were contacted to immediate response. The initial reports out of Abaco and Grand reestablish procedures and lines of communication for Dorian Bahama had clearly affected everyone, producing an organic relief. International relief supplies began arriving that day. rallying cry to band together and help. Calls were placed to numerous government Ministers and officials Certain volunteers had previously coordinated hurricane relief to inform them Odyssey was ready and launching relief efforts. The efforts out of Odyssey Aviation and arranged to meet with RBPF and RBDF were contacted to request assistance with Odyssey’s management on Monday morning as well to reestablish transportation. Contact was made with officials at the U.S. Embassy the necessary onsite systems and infrastructure for Dorian relief. in Nassau to reestablish communications and coordinate relief DRAFTaircraft from the United States. Individuals in The Bahamas and the United States who own private airplanes and helicopters used in previous hurricane relief efforts Commercial airlines were contacted to assist with flying relief were contacted and asked to stand by to assist. Spreadsheets were supplies into New Providence from the United States and Canada. established for aircraft, pilots, airports, and helicopter landing sites Drop-off points were established in Florida for donations of relief in Grand Bahama and throughout Abaco and the Cays. supplies. Company owners in New Providence, who were instrumental in previous relief efforts, were called and asked to start The 22,500 square foot hangar was cleared of tented aircraft and sending supplies to the hangar as soon as possible. ramp space consolidated; parking lots were emptied; old offices in the hangar were cleared and furnished for the relief team’s use; Community leaders in Abaco and Grand Bahama were identified additional telephone lines were run to the hangar, and cell phones and those who could be contacted were called to gather

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Page 16 of 83 THE CORE GROUP

information and arrange for ground transportation for the imminent arrival of emergency ﬁrst responders, international NGOs, and government ofﬁcials.

A loading bay closest to the taxiway was cleared and a triage centre set up there.

By Monday, September 2nd, emergency ﬁrst responders and international NGOs had already begun arriving at Odyssey Aviation and continued throughout the week: the U.S. Coast Guard, Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, U.S. Air Force, USAID, individuals from U.S. Foreign Disaster Relief (FDR), United Nations organizations, Global Support & Development (GSD), USAID, Samaritan’s Purse, MEDIC CORPS, Humanity First, Direct Relief, Americares, All Hands and Hearts, Heart 911, Team Rubicon, and international news groups (NBC, September 3rd, 2019 Volunteers from all walks of life at New Providence Community Centre to assist with sorting and repackaging emergency aid. AccuWeather, WX Chasing).DRAFT Photo credit: Fr. Matthew Sweeting. The FBO became a holding hub for these entities as they waited The previous day, during the height of the storm in Abaco, a social for the weather to clear in Abaco and Grand Bahama. A member of media post had gone out calling for a meeting of persons in the Core Team created spreadsheets of these volunteers and Nassau interested in volunteering. The post quickly went viral organizations. through messaging and social media networks. Volunteers were told to gather at the New Providence Community Center (NPCC) As weather, runways, and landing spots cleared, deployment of on Monday, September 2nd, 2019 at 1100. those volunteers to Abaco and Grand Bahama began mostly by private aircraft, and their movements initially tracked along with At that ﬁrst meeting, a self-organizing process emerged that the relief supplies sent with them. helped the group of private individuals to quickly become

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Page 17 of 83 THE CORE GROUP

TABLE 1: Core Team Leaders and Areas of Focus

LEADER AREA OF FOCUS LEADER AREA OF FOCUS

Scott Arahna Marine Response Coordination Peter Lundgren GSD Nassau Coordinator

Ashley Brown Temporary Housing for Evacuees Abraham McIntyre Logistics

Graham Cates, MD Medical Response Sarah Morley Security, Logistics

Steven Cartwright Marine Response Logistics Tara Morley Logistics, Multi-sectoral Assistance

Diane Holowesko Dunkley GOB Liaison, ATC, Air Response, Joanna Paul Security for Evacuees’ Welcome Int’l Relief Coordination Center

Happy Hall Multi-sectoral Coordination Julia Roberts Multi-sectoral Coordination, Logistics

William Holowesko GM, Odyssey Aviation Puppy Robinson Multi-sectoral Coordination, Evacuee Registration

Steven Kelly President, Odyssey Aviation Will Tomlinson Marine Response Coordination

Susan Larson Core Group Coordination, NEMA Karla Wells-Lisgaris Logistics, Water Liaison, NGO Coordination

Lucy Lyons Evacuees’ Welcome Center, Will Young GOB Sea Evacuation, Liaison with Donor Relations Social Services

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Page 18 of 83 THE CORE GROUP

coordinated. A first step was to register the volunteers and to record their availability and particular areas expertise, with the goal — Air lift and reconnaissance of assigning volunteers where their skills could best be leveraged. — Marine lift and reconnaissance — Insertion of emergency first-responders In its second step, the group immediately identified thematic team — Logistics for receipt and handling of donated supplies leaders. By Tuesday, September 3rd, these leaders had formed — Air and sea delivery of emergency aid teams and began implementing structures to accommodate the — Evacuation outpouring of support by the general public. When new — Reception and registration of evacuees information came in revealing new problems, additional teams — Medical care for evacuees were formed to tackle them. — Food for evacuees — Temporary housing and shelter for evacuees A very high level of cooperation and collaboration existed. Leaders — Ground transportation for evacuees collaborated to find solutions to the mounting challenges, — Security of emergency operations challenges most never expected to face in their lifetimes. Said one — Coordination with the Office of the Prime Minister team leader, “the situation was unprecedented for each of us. That — Coordination with NEMA fueled a deep understanding that we were all in this together. It — Coordination with Ministers and Ministries was highly likely we DRAFT were going to make mistakes, but we rallied — Coordination with Bahamasair around each other, always keeping the need as our point of focus.” The joint hub of operations run by the Core Group were given Merging of the Private Sector Partners generous and sweeping authority from Odyssey. “Mindful that we have to maintain operations, do what you need to do,” Odyssey’s President told the group. This meaningful gesture was fundamental The response quickly ramped up on multiple fronts and the team to the speed at which the private sector mobilized. leaders formed a centralized coordination centre at Odyssey’s hangar. Team leaders became known as the Core Group. Over the In addition to hosting the multi-pronged activities of the Core course of the first fourteen days, they and their many volunteers Group, Odyssey Aviation became the staging area for military relief provided leadership in the following:

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Page 19 of 83 THE CORE GROUP

response from other countries, a short- term hub for international NGOs, and the Odyssey Aviation depository for hundreds of thousands of pounds of relief aid coming in from Odyssey Aviation is a network of privately owned Fixed-base Operations (FBO) and Ground around the world. Handling Stations throughout The Bahamas and the United States. The award-winning Odyssey Aviation Bahamas is the largest provider of general aviation services in The Bahamas, with Initial Coordination operations at ﬁve airports on four islands.

Situated in the southeast corner of Nassau’s International Airport, Odyssey Aviation is perfectly For the first several days, Core Group team located to play a leadership role in disaster response in The Bahamas. The facility served as a hub leaders met twice daily to share updates. for relief efforts for Hurricanes Irene in 2011, Joaquin in 2015 and Irma in 2017. Odyssey is well Often, decisions made at one meeting versed in FBO operational requirements and procedures for multiple aspects of the Dorian relief. were out-dated by the next meeting Odyssey Aviation’s entire staff worked tirelessly, endlessly, and always professionally and patiently to assist with relief efforts over many weeks following Dorian. because conditions on the ground were changing rapidly. In the face of great Odyssey Aviation opened their facilities to planes, people, and press from many countries around uncertainty, the Core Group had the the world; their lounges and numerous offices were flooded daily and late into the night with police, foresight to commit to flexibility and defense force officers, international NGOs and volunteers working or waiting for deployment, and adaptability. The rateDRAFT and speed at which they provided water and snacks for them all; they continually serviced relief fleets of military, private, it was willing and able to change course or and commercial aircraft from the Caribbean, North America, and Europe; they safely managed an overflowing and hectic ramp; they hosted and assisted local and international government officials; its tactics was one of the most important they cleared a loading bay and office to be set up as a triage centre; they warmly welcomed factors contributing to its success. evacuees; they managed an often difficult and intrusive international press; their line staff loaded and unloaded cargo and supplies from planes, trucks and tractor trailers; they added security as a Centralized meetings proved to be precautionary measure; and, their maintenance staff worked around the clock to keep the entire impractical given how busy team leaders property clean. had become. Teams switched to virtual communication using WhatsApp, a voice- and-text messaging service that has

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Page 20 of 83 THE CORE GROUP

proven to be a critical tool in other post- disaster situations. Teams found that features speciﬁc to WhatsApp, the Share and Reply functions and the ability to search threads by keyword made it a particularly useful communication tool.

Each team created a WhatsApp group. Some had participant lists of up to 256 people, the maximum capacity for a group on that platform. Multi-sector coordinators were added to multiple lists to ensure information was disseminated quickly across teams. With WhatsApp, teams were able to collaborate and communicate in real time. DRAFT

TOP LEFT AND RIGHT: Evacuation Centre in full swing; aircraft come and go on September 6th, 2019. Photo credit: Julia Roberts.

TOP RIGHT: Volunteers help evacuees disembark from Delta Airlines plane on September 10th, 2019. Photo credit: Julia Roberts.

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Page 21 of 83 DRAFT

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Page 22 of 83 3. Emergency First Response DONEC QUIS NUNC

Global Support & Development

As early as Tuesday, September 2nd, first responders tried to move into Abaco to provide emergency services but conditions did not yet permit landings. At that point, with the storm still underway, the status of the airports in Abaco was uncertain. What was known: runways were flooded and control towers were down. In the first days after the storm in Abaco, there was no air traffic control and no way to land relief supplies and personnel.

On arrival in Nassau, Global Support & Development (GSD) aligned itself with the Core Group. GSD worked with the Core Group’s NEMA Liaison and Marine Response team to secure NEMA’s endorsement to move an advanced team and supplies en route to Abaco by sea. The day the storm passed Abaco, GSD set up its own operations center at Odyssey Aviation and was already DRAFTpositioning itself to provide immediate relief to devastated communities. GSD considers part of its mission to leverage the specialized skills of its teams and to share its expertise with other responders to build a more resilient response sector. The Core Group beneﬁted directly from this element of GSD’s mission. GSD provided regular, critical guidance to Core Group team leaders, most of whom were committed novices at disaster relief. GSD introduced the Core Group to important concepts about managing chaos and provided a calm, level-headed perspective. GSD’s advice and information was indispensable to the Core Group’s efforts to identify and ﬁll gaps and to adjust to the rapidly changing landscape.

GSD assists with medevacs in Abaco. Photo source: GSD website.

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Page 23 of 83 EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE

GSD was among those who tried to land in Abaco on September 2nd but had to abort their efforts owing to continuing tropical storm conditions. On September 3rd, as Dorian ﬁnally began to move north from Grand Bahama, GSD was able to land an advance team of three in Marsh Harbour.

By Wednesday, September 4th, GSD team members were clearing access for landing zones near Marsh Harbour Medical Clinic to allow their other teams to arrive throughout the day. GSD partnered with YachtAid Global to use the M/Y Loon as a support vessel and a shelter for relief workers.

By September 5th, GSD teams were already beginning to conduct rapid needs assessments of the Abaco Cays and to deliver medical supplies, water, and other desperately needed goods. GSD teams were quickly able to extend their reach and supply lines to the more distant Cays. DRAFT

By the time it ended its support operations on September 9th, GSD had facilitated a total of 4,000 evacuations by air or sea; landed GSD marine teams conducted underwater surveys and clearance in Abaco’s 1,100 air assets; facilitated the medical evacuation of 300 critical ports to make way for emergency response vessels to follow. Photo taken from patients; and treated 900 people. GSD website.

GSD’s contributions to the work of the Core Group was invaluable. They shared information and suggestions freely and injected their expertise into situations in ways and at times that proved to be crucial to the success of the private sector response.

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Page 24 of 83 EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONSE

TOP LEFT AND CLOCKWISE: September 4th, 2019. Emergency ﬁrst responders and supplies en route to Marsh Harbour on board the IMS Commander. Photo credit: Sam Solberg. GSD team meeting in Odyssey Aviation. GSD team members assist with medical evacuation out of Abaco. Photo credit GSD.

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Page 25 of 83 4. Air Response DONEC QUIS NUNC

Odyssey Aviation

Odyssey Aviation became the central command for emergency air response. Its 22-acre ramp handled nearly 900 ﬂight operations during the ﬁrst 14-day period. U.S. military relief aircraft medevaced over 400 people from Abaco and Grand Bahama to Odyssey. Triage was carried out in warehouse space on the western side of Odyssey’s facility and ambulances transported those in need of further care to Nassau’s hospitals.

The GOB liaison organized aircrafts for surveillance and relief efforts for the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers, other government officials, the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), the Royal Bahamas Defense Force, and officers from Jamaica working with RBPF. DRAFTOdyssey Aviation became the hub of the private sector response to Hurricane Numerous international NGOs arrived at Odyssey willing to assist Dorian. The FBO handled 688 total landings. Housed in its hangar was the but had no way to reach Abaco and Grand Bahama. Flights were evacuation centre which received 6,888 evacuees in the fourteen day period. arranged, or they were also placed on planes and helicopters with Photo credit: Gary Larson. empty seats on a supplies-delivery flight. Balancing the delivery of supplies versus personnel was critical: both were desperately Private Aircraft needed in Abaco and Grand Bahamas but aircrafts were restricted by weight limits. Careful records had to be kept of who and what Individuals and companies quickly donated use of airplanes, was delivered at each drop off so that the appropriate supplies or seaplanes, and helicopters to the rescue and response. In some people were delivered on subsequent flights. cases, individuals chartered specialized aircraft from the United States to support Dorian emergency response teams. In other

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transporting NEMA, BCAA, RBPF, RBDF, and Jamaican military relief TABLE 2: Total air movement at Odyssey Aviation personnel, and delivering cargo ranging from medical supplies to generators. General Aviation Aircraft U.S. Military Aircraft Hundreds of pilots with small private aircraft wanted to help. Total landings - 688 Total landings - 192 Adding to the trafﬁc were aircraft carrying journalists and photographers covering the disaster for the international media. Relief supplies - 400,000 lbs. Number of aircraft - 32 An uncertain number of “disaster tourists” also crowded the skies.

Number of sorties - 211 Coordination

Medevaced - 407 The volume of traffic in the air was a demonstration of the instances, substantial cash donations were given to underwrite the generous response of the aviation community to the disaster. It operating costs of private aircraft. also proved to be a problem. By the third day of the emergency response, as military relief and private sector efforts were really DRAFTramping up, momentum stalled. The amount of requested air traffic overwhelmed ATC. Delays extended for multiple hours as aircraft Deployment of these aviation resources allowed for the immediate waited first for initial clearance and then for take-off clearance. In delivery of life-saving cargo (drinking water and medical supplies many cases, aircraft with the capacity to run three sorties a day in particular), for the transport of emergency first-response teams, were only able to complete one. The outcome was a virtual stand- and for evacuations. Helicopters completed air drops of supplies still of the emergency response. on small cays where it was impossible to land a plane, and on larger islands whose runways were underwater, debris filled, or By September 4th, GOB had coordinated assistance from the U.S. both. government, which stepped in with mobile air-traffic control to help manage airspace over the affected areas. The U.S. Federal Aviation One local private charter carrier completed over 280 round trip Administration issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the flights to Abaco. These flights included airlifting 1,618 evacuees, Northern Bahamas. All aircraft wanting to enter Bahamian airspace ______

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needed a TFR number from Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority (BCCA) and permission from NEMA, who issued a one-page application form for emergency ﬂight authorization.

With these new requirements, the Core Group saw an opportunity to bridge a gap. The Core Group’s BCAA liaison successfully persuaded BCAA to establish a satellite office at the Odyssey Aviation hangar, and to delegate a portion of the emergency aircraft registration process to the private sector. The liaison served as the middleman between NEMA and pilots. BCAA used a phone or WhatsApp call to issue NEMA clearanceDRAFT codes to the liaison, who communicated them to the pilots. This collaboration streamlined the process and significantly reduced wait times. U.S. Military aircraft contributed significantly to the emergency response period, making more than 190 landings at Odyssey Aviation during the emergency response period. Photo credit: Nick Klonaris Sr. Beyond Odyssey, evacuation flights also arrived at Jet Aviation and General arrived between September 7th and none of those persons had been Aviation, two of Nassau’s other FBOs. S e p t e m b e r 9 t h . A s n o o n e h a d documented. Management at those facilities estimated implemented a system for receiving and that as many as 3,000 evacuees had registering evacuees at those facilities, The lack of comprehensive data about evacuations across locations meant that no

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one could accurately report the number of evacuations completed, nor effectively estimate how many more evacuees were likely to arrive. In addition to the basic humanitarian implications of not knowing, the uncertainty made planning almost impossible. Anticipating the number of volunteers needed to fully man the process at the Evacuation Centre and determine the quantity of supplies needed to prepare for arriving evacuees became quite a challenge.

The Core Group knew and recorded the status of the evacuees arriving at Odyssey: they had experienced great trauma, had suffered signiﬁcant damage Odyssey Aviation’s 22 acre ramp. The hangar sits in the middle of the complex. Photo credit: Odyssey DRAFTAviation. to or completely lost all their personal property and, in many cases, were missing or had lost family members and friends. On September 9th, the Core Group Odyssey. It was determined that the best Many needed critical primary care and decided to help assure that evacuees solution was to bus everyone arriving at mental health and psychological support arriving at Jet Aviation and General other FBOs to the evacuation centre at services; all needed clothing, food, and Aviation received the same standard of Odyssey Aviation and process them there. supplies. care, support and processing in place at

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Page 29 of 83 5. Marine Response DONEC QUIS NUNC

Overview it needed to stage relief efforts: water, generators, chain saws, lumber, etc.

The initial marine response emerged directly from that first The assistance rendered by Spanish Wells had a very personal meeting of volunteers at NPCC on September 2nd, 2019. As soon connection. After Hurricane Andrew had badly damaged Harbour as the seas allowed, the Nassau Marine Response team members Island and Spanish Wells in 1992, residents of Man-O-War Cay quickly relocated to North Eleuthera, joining a number of rallied to provide emergency relief. The people of Spanish Wells counterparts there. never forgot and vowed to return the gesture should the need arise. Volunteer emergency responders from Spanish Wells faced Eleuthera, like New Providence, was spared the worst of Dorian’s the stormy seas as early as September 4th to provide rescue and impact. It made strategic sense to relocate the marine response to relief to Man-O-War Cay. North Eleuthera because of its relative proximity to the Abacos. The North Eleuthera-centric marine response reduced travel distance and time, lowered fuel costs, and made it possible to complete a Coordination in North Eleuthera greater number of evacuationDRAFT trips per day. Eleutherans gathered on September 3rd for a community meeting The move also took advantage of the marine heritage of North to plan the island’s general response to Dorian. Participants at the Eleuthera, specifically Spanish Wells, which sits off the western meeting learned of the flotilla being assembled in New Providence coast of Eleuthera. Spanish Wells was a crucial launching pad for and they began planning their support of the flotilla and the the marine response. expected evacuation of the Abaco Cays. They helped secure room and board for members of the Marine Response team, opened Spanish Wells has a history of boatbuilding and fishing, and the charge accounts for the fuel the flotilla would need, and began community includes the personnel and equipment essential to creating a database of willing volunteers. marine rescue: captains, sailors, and marine mechanics; boats, barges, and container vessels. The community of Spanish Wells To receive and process evacuees when they arrived in North also provided the marine team with warehouse space for the cargo Eleuthera, the land-based team quickly organized at Three Island ______

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Dock an effective reception centre to receive and document each boat was provisioned with an emergency kit that the team evacuees, treat their injuries and dehydration, and transport them leader had previously assembled in Florida. The kits included a to temporary accommodations or to their friends and families. satellite phone, EPIRBs, handheld VHF and GPS, and a ﬁrst aid kit. To handle breakdowns, the Marine Response team included three Volunteers brought their own laptops and kept an evacuee register marine mechanics and ample spare parts. Each boat was given a in a shared spreadsheet from Google Sheets. Volunteers used their satellite phone to help assure communication between team mobile phones as hotspots to get the internet access they needed members. The satellite trafﬁc was quickly congested, a common to use a cloud-based system like Google Sheets. To further assure effect in post-disaster situations, and the device was of limited use. the accuracy of the documentation, the team also arranged for several local photographers to volunteer to take photos of evacuees. The photos were embedded in the data on each evacuee.

Spanish Wells was the main fueling point for the boats running evacuations, fueling vessels from early morning to last light. A member of the Core Group opened a fuel account to accommodate donations and, by September 5th,DRAFT more than $40,000 of fuel had been secured.

The Marine Response Flotilla

The initial marine response ﬂotilla consisted of 22

private vessels, 30 to 50 feet in length. To assure the Marine Evacuation captains’ meeting in Spanish Wells just after dawn on September 6th, 2019. safety and self-sufﬁciency of every vessel and its crew, Each day the team of captains was briefed and updated on needs and conditions on the ground in Abaco. The realtime information was provided by GSD as they spread throughout the Abaco Cays and farther into Abaco’s mainland. Photo credit: Joanne Robertson.

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The ﬂotilla transitioned from New Providence to North Eleuthera on September 5th, the ﬁrst day the seas had calmed enough to ensure safe passage for the rescuers. The boats were joined by vessels originating from Spanish Wells, Harbour Island, and parts of mainland Eleuthera. GSD assisted with logistics and planning prior to departure from Nassau.

Later, a Core Team leader would say, “it was as sobering as it was gratifying to see the private sector rally so quickly with major responses in play by sea and by air. We didn’t know what we would ﬁnd and everyone must have felt some trepidation. But they went without hesitation. I was incredibly proud of everyone involved.”

At 0600 on September 6th, the marine response group began their emergency runs. On the Eleuthera-to-Abaco legs, the ﬂotilla transported emergency aid, water, and fuel. RBPF ofﬁcers DRAFTaccompanied the group to secure the Marsh Harbour dock for the team. GSD provided extensive information on the channel conditions into Marsh Harbour. Their underwater drones mapped waterways to identify the safest routes for vessels to travel through debris-clogged entrances and harbours.

Marine Response vessel Flying Fish delivers fuel to Marsh Harbour on When they arrived, Marine Response boats found the Marsh September 8th, 2019. Fuel was a precious commodity, needed for the marine Harbour dock crowded with people waiting in harsh and exposed evacuations, by the Defense Force, and to run generators and relief efforts. Photo credit: Scott Aranha. conditions. There was no shelter, no toilet facilities, and no respite from the summer sun. Many Marsh Harbour residents had slept at

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the dock hoping for rescue and many anyone with information to share about would continue to sleep there while they those needing rescue should relay the waited their turn for evacuation. news to a member of the Core Group.

Boats traveled between Abaco and Through messaging, WhatsApp and other Eleuthera in pairs, manned by a crew of social platforms, vital information was two: a captain and a mate. The Marine funneled to the group, adding significantly Response team had determined that a to its understanding of the situation. crew of two assured the safety of the rescue while maximizing the number of By the end of the first weekend, Bahamas evacuees per vessel. Ferries and mailboats had completed several evacuation runs of their own. Their The first boats arrived back in North efforts removed pressure from the small- Eleuthera late in the afternoon of boat Marine Response team. September 6th. From Three Island Dock, buses were organised to transport Once larger aircraft were involved in evacuees to NorthDRAFT Eleuthera airport, evacuations, the evacuations into where they were airlifted to Nassau. Other Eleuthera ended and the reception centre evacuees were reunited with families in at Three Islands Dock ceased operation. September 7th, 2019 Watch was maintained Eleuthera, or housed there in temporary Within two weeks, the Marine Response until every vessel that had set out in the morning had returned and checked in in the evening. accommodations. initiative had formalised into IDEA Relief, Photo credit: Joanne Robertson. an official non-profit organization. This Networks of family and friends of the Core group continues to ferry people and Group also contributed to the success of supplies between Eleuthera, Marsh the marine emergency response. It Harbour and the Abaco cays to support became widely known very quickly that the ongoing recovery efforts.

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ABOVE: Volunteers at Three Island Dock on September 7th, 2019 await the arrival of evacuees. Dozens of volunteers in mainland Eleuthera, Spanish Wells, and Harbour Island, played integral roles in the Marine Response. Photo credit: Joanne Robertson.

RIGHT: September 10th, 2019. Marine evacuation continues from Marsh Harbour to North Eleuthera. Photo credit: IDEA Relief.

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LEFT: September 5th 2019, Fuel totes have been loaded onto support vessel before start of marine evacuations. Photo credit: Anna Knowles.

ABOVE: September 7th 2019, Evacuation run from Marsh Harbour to North Eleuthera. Photo credit: IDEA Relief.

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Page 35 of 83 6. Medical Response DONEC QUIS NUNC

First Response

In addition to the fatalities, Hurricane Dorian’s wrath left many with traumatic injuries, quickly created conditions for life-threatening infections, and disrupted the supply or availability of critical medications and treatments for many people with chronic illnesses. The private sector’s emergency planning included a heavy emphasis on medical response and needs.

An initial meeting was held at 2100 in Nassau on the evening of September 3rd, 2019 in a conference room provided by Baha Mar Resort. Representatives from GSD joined Bahamian physicians and the group deﬁned the logistics and coordination needed to integrate a fully supported medical team into the ﬁrst response in Abaco. GSD was able to report that they had successfully landed three of their advanced team in DRAFTMarsh Harbour that day. The remaining members of this cohesive medical response team boarded the IMS Commander, a salvage vessel chartered by the private sector, in the early morning of September 4th, 2019. With her length overall at 27 meters and her width at 9 meters, the vessel was loaded to maximum capacity with emergency aid and supplies. Though the seas were still under the impact of tropical force winds, the ship sailed. One of the Core Team leaders later remarked, “we all knew we needed to get help to Abaco quickly, but when the IMS Commander left I hoped and prayed that we had not made a terrible mistake to send her so soon.”

September 3rd, 2019 and the ﬁrst medical evacuations begin in Abaco. Photo credit: Dr. William Hamilton. ______

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The vessel arrived safely in Marsh Harbour at 1800 on September 4th, 2019. Team members sortied immediately to the Marsh Harbour Medical Clinic to assess conditions and needs on the ground. Through GSD’s reporting structure, those conditions and needs were immediately fed into the private sector’s communication network and received in real time by leadership in New Providence.

Accompanied by local officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the private sector first responders met with the skeletal clinic staff and helped complete an assessment of the situation at the clinic. The facility was fairly well supplied and was on generator power as needed and at night. There was no air conditioning or running water and the toilets had long since stopped flushing. The clinic was overwhelmed with patients and those simply seeking The U.S. Coast Guard arrives in Marsh Harbour on September 3rd, 2019, the first shelter. GSD’s initial assessment of the clinic on Wednesday, to conduct medical evacuation from the Marsh Harbour Clinic. Throughout the September 4th estimated that there were 1,500 people in the first 14-day emergency response period, the Coast Guard continually assisted DRAFTthe Core Group in whatever manner it could. One of the most memorable clinic. The clinic’s medical staff had been working heroically and moments for one of the Team Leaders was receiving a midnight call from the non-stop since the storm. Coast Guard, “Ma’am,” the officer said, “Just confirming we were able to pick up the lady in need of medical attention for you and she’s on her way to safety.” A huge debt of gratitude is owed to the U.S. Coast Guard — and they have our First responders spent the first 24 hours addressing medical deep thanks. Photo credit: Dr. William Hamilton. emergencies and establishing procedures and organizational structure and space. They helped stablished clinical and no-go At 24-plus hours on the ground, the first responders divided areas, implemented sanitization protocols, and identified themselves into teams. At all times, one team remained at the clinic temporary morgue space and procedures. to contribute to the on-going medical response needed there. Supplemented by local volunteers, the other teams began search

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and rescue and search and recovery The team helped triage and treat patients, airdrops of medical supplies, water and exercises. Grids were established to many of whom had suffered traumatic other goods. maximize effectiveness. injuries during the storm. There were also a number of cardiac, respiratory and The Medical Response team leader The Medical Response team had made diabetic-related medical emergencies that worked with the mailboat to send a 40- several, critical predeterminations: required medical attention. foot container of medical supplies to Grand Bahama, where the hospital had • A medical chain of command had Medical Supplies suffered serious damage. A Freeport-area been established and circulated. Rotarian received and distributed the This structure was known to all and supplies. For communication, the team Among the first information shared with respected completely. had mobile and satellite phones and had the Medical Response team leader in New set up a WhatsApp group specific to the Providence were the types of medication, • Team members were rotated in and medical response. The team sent hourly ”particularly antibiotics, insulin, and out of Abaco, with the maximum updates through WhatsApp as service tetanus vaccinations ”and medical number of hours on the ground a l l o w e d . A v o l u n t e e r i n N a s s a u supplies that would be needed to meet capped at 72. coordinated the delivery of donated the needs on the ground. Efforts began medical supplies by air transport. DRAFTimmediately to locally source and secure • Mental health expertise was made these critical items and airlift them to available to members rotating back Abaco. Medical Evacuations to New Providence to help them process their experiences on the During those critical first days after the The U.S. Coast Guard helped evacuate the ground in Abaco. storm, GSD teams used boats to visit the first wave of patients. Once the winds had small Abaco Cays to thoroughly assess died down to make flying more safe, other A field hospital implemented within days their needs for medical and other aircraft joined in to conduct medical near the airport helped relieve pressure s u p p l i e s . B a s e d o n t h o s e n e e d s evacuations. Once the airport in Marsh on the clinic. assessments, they conducted multiple Harbour opened, on September 5th, the

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could not safely stay on an affected island, then those at risk such as the elderly or women in late-stage pregnancy.

By September 8th, large-capacity planes from commercial airlines such as Bahamasair and Delta began ﬂying to Marsh Harbour to evacuate residents. A member of the GSD team helped coordinate the arrival of mobile medical teams on planes during the journey from Nassau to Marsh Harbour. These private- sector medical teams relieved doctors and nurses at the government clinic who had been working virtually non-stop for days DRAFTon end. Medical Zone at Odyssey

On Odyssey Aviation ramp, Doctors Hospital ambulance meets aircraft with critical condition patient on The Ministry of Health (MOH), the Public September 10th, 2019. Photo credit: Nick Klonaris Sr. Hospitals Authority (PHA), and the Family medical team turned its focus to the large should expect to meet for incoming Medicine Center (FMC), a private clinic in number of residents who would need to evacuees. GSD teams also helped conduct Nassau, set up a dedicated Medical Zone be evacuated to New Providence. The medical evacuations by helicopter in the in the hangar to triage evacuees. Patients m e d i c a l r e s p o n s e t e a m w a s i n ﬁrst days. A priority order for helicopter in need of emergency medical care were communication with teams at Odyssey to evacuation was determined: the critically transferred to the PHA/MOH hangar for make sure they knew what needs they ill or injured, then the less-seriously ill who treatment or for transport to one of the ______

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local hospitals by ambulance. Those with minor injuries, non-life- threatening illness, and chronic non-communicable illnesses were evaluated, appropriately treated, and given any needed medication. Evacuees in need of emotional support were directed to on-site counselors.

The Medical Zone served as the distribution centre for medical supplies to be given to arriving passengers or to be delivered by air to the affected areas. Local team members used their professional connections and collaborated with local, regional and international pharmacy associations to secure medical supplies and medications. The government’s National Prescription Drug Plan granted permission to the private sector to distribute medications to eligible evacuees. Evacuees received a 60-90 day supply of medication before theyDRAFT exited the Registration Centre.

TOP RIGHT: The Medical Response team set up a fully functional pharmacy within the Evacuation Centre which was aligned with the National Prescription Drug Plan.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Medical Response team members hand off medical supplies to U.S. Coast Guard for delivery to Abaco.

Photo credits: Michelle Finlayson.

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Page 40 of 83 7. The Evacuation Centre ARRIVAL

Overview persons from Abaco and Grand Bahama passed through this facility. As early as September 3rd, as ﬁrst responder ﬂights returned to Odyssey from Abaco, they brought with them distressed persons There was some confusion within GOB that the private sector had who had congregated at runways, pleading to be evacuated, and initiated air evacuation particularly. The reality was that evacuation who shared reports of growing desperation. The pilots occurred in a highly organic manner and was thrust upon the corroborated, giving their own reports of crowds of people private sector. Driven by basic humanitarian principles, the private clamoring for evacuation and of increasingly precarious conditions. sector simply responded. On September 7th, GOB publicly The Core Group recognized that a large-scale evacuation was announced that the private sector Evacuation Centre was now the imminent and began to prepare an Evacuation Centre at Odyssey. National Evacuation Centre.

The Core Group developed a comprehensive process to As aircraft arrived, volunteers greeted evacuees as they offloaded systematically register evacuees and an organized, ad-hoc facility the plane. Wheelchair assistance was offered to those who needed to receive them. The Core Group set up zones in the hangar to DRAFTit: pregnant women, the disabled, injured or elderly. Many needed register evacuees; give them food, water; provide medical and immediate medical attention and were diverted to the medical pharmaceutical services; tend to the needs of children and infants; zone for further assessment. Evacuees who did not need medical and provide supplies for family pets. Once the initial needs of attention were offered food and drink and then entered the queue evacuees were met in the Evacuee Registration Centre, they were to begin the registration process. transferred to the Evacuee Welcome Centre, an air-conditioned tent on Odyssey’s complex. These two entities, the Evacuee The Core Group used barricades donated by the RBPF to create a Registration Centre and the Evacuee Welcome Centre, constituted traffic flow for arriving passengers. The winding layout of the Evacuation Centre defined, supplied, and manned by the barricades was meant to mimic normal airport security lines. A local private sector. Over the course of the 14 days, more than 6,856 business donated chairs so that the elderly, injured, ill, weak, pregnant, or women with young children could sit while they

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Page 41 of 83 THE EVACUATION CENTRE

waited to be registered. One goal of the arrival system was to assure some degree of calm, order, and comfort for distressed evacuees who had spent many days in the chaos of a disaster zone.

Once treated for their medical needs and given hydration, evacuees were given what may have been their ﬁrst meal since before the storm. Breakfast or boxed lunches were offered to those arriving early in the day and hot food was offered to those arriving later in the afternoon. Prepped in batches of hundreds at a time, meals were delivered multiple times a day by generous local restaurants and chefs and managed by a designated team and DRAFTSeptember 10th, 2019 Bahamasair arrives at Evacuation Centre. Injured are immediately put into volunteers. The Rotary Clubs of The wheelchairs and taken to Medical Centre before entering the registration process. Photo credit: Nick Bahamas arranged for hand wash stations Klonaris, Sr. and portable toilets to be delivered and the fully-stocked infant zone. Many, if not additional supplies for the coming days. A regularly serviced by Bahamas Waste, a most, of the arriving infants and toddlers volunteer group consisting primarily of privately owned municipal waste disposal were in soiled diapers or clothes, long local mothers was also on hand to help company. overdue for a change. The infant zone also care for infants and young children, included formula and baby food for allowing tired mothers to register, eat and Many women arrived with small children immediate use. An infant care package sit — a welcomed rest that many had not and were moved to tears when they saw was offered to every parent containing received since before the hurricane hit. A

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two volunteers. One volunteer posed questions to evacuees, offered candy to children, and provided a degree of calm; the second carefully entered data into the Master Evacuee log. Creole-speaking volunteers worked on a rotation to accommodate evacuees who spoke Creole as a ﬁrst language.

Master Evacuee Log

A master log of all evacuees was created using Google Sheets. The log collected multiple data bits: date registered, first and last name, date of birth, from where they had evacuated, whether temporary housing was needed, number in family (if housing needed), missing family DRAFTmembers, family members confirmed lost in the storm, and occupation (to be used for later job September 9th, 2019 evacuations have continued into the evening. After receiving food and water, evacuees sit in the queue while waiting to be registered. Photo credit: Susan Larson. placement). Volunteers took photographs of passports, driver’s licences, or any formal identification that evacuees had managed to play area with donated toys and games and a table providing secure and bring with them. In the absence of such documentation, donated children’s clothing and shoes was set up on the western a photograph of the evacuee was taken on site. side of the hangar.

Volunteers in North Eleuthera were also collaborating on the same Individual evacuees, or heads of household in the case of a family, master log, making it a real-time, comprehensive portrait of the were led to a bank of registration desks. Each desk was manned by

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evacuation. This meant any given time the Core Group knew how To assure evacuees that their bags were safe and sound, volunteers many people had passed through its facilities. Given the large made sure that evacuees were reconnected with their bag number of people still unaccounted for at this point in time, immediately after their registration was complete. accurate data on survivors and evacuees was crucial. In some instances, when multiple planes departed an impacted Data management and security was critically important to the Core area at the same time, evacuees and their luggage didn’t make it Group. The hangar WiFi was protected and the document’s password frequently changed. Volunteers signed NDAs and access to the database of evacuees was closely controlled. Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Aliv

Luggage BTC and Aliv are the two main competitors in the cellular service market in The Bahamas. BTC also provides landline telephone and internet service. Dorian damaged the networks of both companies, Volunteer baggage handlers helped unload luggage from arriving knocking down cellular towers or inundating network equipment in aircraft. Bags were delivered to a secured luggage zone just flood waters. After the storm passed, both companies set to work outside the hangar to reduce congestion inside the registration restoring service on the affected islands and agreed to cooperate to area. DRAFToffer free, reciprocal roaming on each other’s networks. During the first week post-Dorian, BTC gave free data and local calls There were numerous instances, especially in the first days, when to all its customers. Customers in Abaco were extended the offer for evacuees became very distressed when they lost sight of their bag. a longer period of time. In a similar gesture, Aliv offered its Volunteers soon realized that, in most cases, everything the customers 250 free calling minutes. These actions helped all evacuee now owned was contained in a single bag. Said one Bahamian residents to connect with family and friends without volunteer, “that realization absolutely took my breath away and I concern for using up data and minutes, or running up a bill. had to walk away to gather myself.” BTC also provided free WiFi to many shelters in Grand Bahama and Nassau.

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Clockwise from top left: Delta Airlines arrives at Evacuation Centre on September 9th, 2019 Delta Captain says farewell to evacuee after disembarkation. National Carrier Bahamasair arrives at Evacuation Centre on September 12th, 2019.

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onto the same plane. In these cases, evacuees often chose to wait who had no where to go. However, it was immediately apparent to in the Welcome Centre for the next plane to arrive rather than risk everyone that something more permanent, substantial, and private losing their sole possessions. Other evacuees left bag descriptions needed to be created. Again, the private sector rallied. with the volunteers who contacted them once their bags had arrived. Every night, uncollected luggage was moved inside the Two 5,000-square-foot tents were donated to the effort and hangar and secured to prevent confusion with newly arriving bags erected several hundred yards from the hangar, in the southeast the following day . corner of Odyssey’s complex. The site was ready on September 7th and became known as the Evacuee Welcome Centre (EWC). Once registration has been completed and luggage collected, evacuees were reunited with family members or loved ones who The ﬁrst tent was used as a rest and assistance center, while the had come to Odyssey to meet them. A designated waiting area for second tent housed the donated relief supplies that were pouring family and friends was created in a tent erected outside of the in. Both were surrounded by fencing to secure the space and to fence to the hangar. This tent was set up with chairs for family or give the evacuees privacy from onlookers and the press. friends who had conﬁrmation that inbound family members or friends were inbound. Evacuees without Nassau family or friends Large generators were donated to power the EWC, with a third were transitioned to the Welcome Centre. generator on stand-by as a backup. Several air-conditioning units DRAFTwere installed to make the EWC more comfortable in the late Evacuee Welcome Centre summer heat. Buses and gold carts were donated to help transfer evacuees to the centre from the hangar. By September 5th there had been no public announcements on the availability of formal shelters, yet airlift was underway. Many Every evacuee entering the Welcome Centre was greeted by evacuees arriving at the Odyssey hangar had family or friends in volunteers from the Rotary Clubs who assured them they were in a New Providence. But a large and growing number did not. safe space and gave them a brief orientation of the amenities.

For the ﬁrst few days, the Core Group carved out a corner of the Immediately available was a clothing and care package section. hangar to provide a resting area and processing place for evacuees Many evacuees had arrived with nothing but the clothes on their

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shared a table in the Registration Centre and donated free replacement phones, chargers and other accessories to all evacuees and reconnected them to the world.

Shelters & Temporary Housing

Volunteers manning the Welcome Centre identiﬁed and prioritized the challenges facing them. At the top of the list was where to place people given the ofﬁcial shelters were not ready at the time

September 6th, 2019. The Evacuees’ Welcome Centre is set up. The air conditioned centre provided evacuation began. Finding unofﬁcial shelter and quiet space for evacuees before being picked up by friends or family or transitioned to a temporary housing was the only option shelter. Photo credit: JuliaDRAFT Roberts. available. backs. Clothing, shoes, hygiene kits, and blankets, where evacuees could also rest A team of volunteers focused on packaged food to take with them were or simply rejuvenate. Portable restroom temporary housing immediately set to available for them to select from. and hand sanitizing stations were set up in work. They used social media channels private areas outside of the tents. Food was served — hot or cold meals and their own networks to solicit landlords depending on the time of day. In the Nassau’s two cellular service providers and hotel owners to donate vacant shade of a stand of Casurina trees, installed a number of multi-socket outlets housing — private houses and apartments, evacuees could eat or rest in the fresh air. throughout the EWC so that volunteers guest houses, hotel rooms, and Airbnb In the rear of the Welcome Centre, a quiet and evacuees could charge their phones. listings. They also called foundations and area had been set up with mattresses and Normally rivals, the two companies also large donors for monetary donations to

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cover the costs of sheltering evacuees at a do not have housing in Nassau. Those who local all-inclusive resort. replied no, completed a Housing Application form that was used to guide The response from the private sector — volunteers in their efforts to match individuals and businesses — was evacuees and their unique situations to extraordinary. Within a matter of days available housing inventory. several hundred thousand dollars in cash and in kind had been committed to Painstakingly, volunteers at the Temporary temporary housing. Local hotels and Accommodation desk decided on a case- resorts, Airbnb’s, churches and private by-case basis where to send evacuees. citizens pitched in. Priority for private accommodations — hotels, Airbnb, donated rental property — Meanwhile, The Bahamas Ministry of was given to those with special needs: the Social Services and Urban Development elderly, pregnant women, women with worked hard to get the 10 government- small children, and those who seemed to run evacuation shelters across New b e s u f f e r i n g a c u t e d i s t r e s s . A DRAFTProvidence online. On September 7th comprehensive record of which evacuees NEMA announced their opening, were assigned to which temporary alleviating the burden on the private a c c o m m o d a t i o n w a s m a i n t a i n e d sector just as the need was really ramping meticulously. up. Another team of volunteers developed an September 6th, 2019. Clothing for infants to adults, EWC volunteers established a desk for effective system for directing and generously donated by people from all walks of life, poured into the Welcome Centre. Most Temporary Accommodation. Arriving transporting evacuees to government evacuees had lost everything and the only clothes evacuees were sorted into two groups: shelters. A WhatsApp group was created they had were the ones they were wearing. Photo YES: I have housing in Nassau, and NO: I credit: Julia Roberts. and used to report space availability at

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each shelter, to announce the departure of buses from the EWC and to share the number of passengers on each bus. Local businesses and private schools donated the use of their buses to transport evacuees. Taxi drivers also donated their services.

Official shelters were quickly filled to capacity. The largest shelter was at the Kendal G. L. Isaacs Gymnasium. Outside the gym, several large air-conditioned tents were set up to accommodate overflow. As shelters were brought online, volunteers used their personal network and persuasive skills to make sure shelters were supplied withDRAFT supplement beds, food, and hygiene kits.

In addition to concerns about capacity, the Delta Airlines arrives at the Evacuation Centre from Grand Bahama on September 9th 2019. Photo credit: Core Group worried that not all evacuees Nick Klonaris, Sr. would do well at the ofﬁcial shelters. Some evacuees were experiencing acute private spaces for their safety and being placed elsewhere. The volunteers at distress, which might be ampliﬁed in a wellbeing. In several instances, evacuees the Temporary Accommodation Desk crowded shelter. Others had small who had been placed in shelters returned placed 900 people in some form of children and/or young girls and needed unexpectedly to the EWC asking for help

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private accommodation and another 1,700 in government shelters.

This team became highly invested in the welfare of the people they assisted. Their Team Leader put it this way: “We were in the tent from morning to night until September 14th when we shut tent city down. I realized that we couldn’t just abandon the people that we had placed in the hotels and rental properties, as they were only temporarily placed there. We also did not want to disappoint the generous homeowners who had offered their properties for a short period by leaving them with the daunting task of asking the families toDRAFT leave when the time came. We also realized that a lot of these evacuees were unfamiliar with Nassau.”

September 10th, 2019. Evacuees receive hot meal from Chef Jacques at the Evacuation Centre. Photo The team decided to set up a relocation credit: Nick Klonaris, Sr. service that helped those evacuated to Nassau ﬁnd long-term accommodation, organization currently applying for Response Team which became IDEA place their children in school, and secure charitable status in The Bahamas, Relief, BDHA is the third permanently new jobs. Bahamas Disaster Housing continues to help those left homeless by constituted NGO which emerged out of Assistance (BDHA), a non-proﬁt Dorian. Following the Core Group which the private sector response to Dorian. became Bahamas Strong, and the Marine

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Rotary International and Three Island Dock. At Odyssey, they also helped provide hot breakfasts to evacuees. Rotary International is a global network of more than 45,000 clubs and 1.4 million members with the goals of addressing humanitarian challenges Rotarians followed up with care packages and food provisions for and improving lives. Among Rotary International’s global network are nine evacuees at their temporary housing. They worked with local providers to clubs in The Bahamas. These clubs bring together motivated members to ensure that evacuees in New Providence, Spanish Wells, and Eleuthera take action to benefit their local communities. who needed to replace eyewear were given free examinations and replacements. Children evacuated from the Grand Bahamas Children’s Rotary International groups focus in seven areas of humanitarian work: Home were relocated to the Ranfurly Home for Children in Nassau. Rotary peace and conflict resolution; disease prevention and treatment; water acquired and installed bunk beds at Ranfurly to assure the comfort of the and sanitation; material and child health; basic education and literacy; 17 relocated children. They also provided significant funds to help with the economic and community development; and environmental sustainability. cost of running the Home. After Hurricane Dorian, Rotary International engaged its disaster response in three phases of the disaster life cycle: immediate response, short-term Rotary Bahamas adopted several shelters and temporary homes and made assistance, and long-term rebuilding and recovery. sure evacuees had clothing; footwear; school books and bags; medical, cooking, and cleaning supplies. Rotary’s thoughtful and careful planning With regard to their immediate response to the disaster, volunteers and over the years had other positive impacts after Dorian. Ten years earlier, in donations from Rotary International helped in multiple sectors. Local and partnership with other Rotary Clubs around the world, Rotary Clubs of DRAFTGrand Bahama had implemented an element of its disaster preparedness international clubs and partners provided supplies and assistance to first responders. Rotary International and its partners and supporters collected plan for the island: the Rotary water plant in Freeport. This plant was the donations of needed supplies including generators, building materials, only source of non-bottled potable water in Freeport after the devastation construction tools, portable solar power systems, and vehicles as well as of Hurricane Dorian. The water plant distributed more than 200,000 monetary contributions to support relief efforts. Rotary Districts in Florida gallons of water to the hospital and medical clinics, to food distribution donated 250 tons of supplies. and feedings centres, to shelters, and to the community.

Rotarians were a big part of private sector manpower and helped Rotary Bahamas also made sure that Treasure Cay, Abaco, received its own welcome, comfort, register, and house evacuees who arrived at Odyssey portable water plant, which provided 10,000 gallons a day. This plant can be relocated to other islands in the event of future disasters.

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Mental Health and Support The human drive to overcome was often evident even without expert assistance. One volunteer recounted the sweetest memory, As evacuees arrived and made their way through the Registration saying, “Outside of the stress and pressure to move quickly and and Welcome Centres many of the them began to share stories of assign housing to everyone, there were a lot of positive things their personal experiences during Dorian with the volunteers. They happening every day in the Welcome Centre. If it was someone’s had been through or witnessed terrifying and tragic events and birthday we would all join in singing. And we were entertained daily many of them were clearly traumatized. by evacuated children who wanted to dance and sing on the microphone for the crowd. It was a beautiful thing to see people One volunteer recalled, “emotions were high, and the stories were come together in this way, even in such terrible times.” absolutely heartbreaking.” It was not uncommon to see volunteers walk away for a moment alone after assisting an evacuee, needing Animal Rescue and Evacuation to collect themselves. A number of volunteers withdrew after a few days simply because they could not cope. It was immediately clear that mobilization would be needed to assist the animals affected by Hurricane Dorian. Calls were put out Although they had not anticipated or planned for it, Leaders quickly on social media for fosters and volunteers to identify themselves for realized that post traumatic stress does in fact impact responders as the likely inﬂux of animals needing evacuation from Abaco and well as those directlyDRAFT impacted. Volunteer mental health experts Grand Bahama. answered the call for help and provided support to the evacuees, medical personnel and relief workers and volunteers. On September 3rd, a meeting was held between the Veterinary Representatives from Social Services gave a helpful training session Medical Association of The Bahamas in conjunction with BAARK on how to interact with evacuees. (Bahamas Alliance for Animal Rights and Kindness), The Bahamas Humane Society, The Ministry of Agriculture and was joined by Americares, a U.S.-based NGO, provided psychosocial support to various other international animal charities and organizations to evacuees at the Evacuation Centre and at the government’s largest form a plan of assistance. shelter at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

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After initial assessments, speciﬁc needs for transportation, supplies, and volunteers were identiﬁed. Large donations of money and supplies began coming in from both local and international sources as did dozens of volunteers seeking to support rescue operations. By September 4th, BAARK had set up a Global Giving fund to start collecting monetary donations.

BAARK began its first animal evacuations on September 7th. Volunteers flew chartered flights from Nassau to Abaco up to three times per day, funded by donations received from their Global Giving fund. Those who were missing pets were encouraged to use social media to DRAFTSeptember 6th, 2019 Animal rescue is also underway. Pet dogs are airlift from Abaco to Evacuation post descriptions and the last known Center. Photo credit: Julia Roberts locations of their missing animals; BAARK volunteers conducted on-ground rescue with families in the United States and Humane Society’s facility and an ad-hoc missions to try to locate them. Canada. Wings of Rescue, a U.S.-based animal shelter was set up in a warehouse in group of volunteer pilots who provide air the Airport Industrial Park in New Images of rescued animals were posted on transport for pets at risk, coordinated with Providence. The warehouse was not air- the BAARK and Humane Society websites BAARK to transport animals. conditioned and there concerns that the for identification by individuals who had building was too hot and the airflow too missing pets. Unclaimed animals and The number of evacuated animals far limited for safety. To address these surrendered pets were given new homes exceeded the capacity of the Bahamas concerns, Global Medic, a Canada-based

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charitable organization, donated two tents to provide additional shelter for evacuated animals. Volunteers were encouraged to help feed, walk, and bathe the animals. Volunteers quickly learned that most animals were suffering from storm-related PTSD and bathing them was a difﬁcult endeavor.

It is estimated that, between September and October, nearly 500 cats and dogs were rescued from Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Pet Care

Some evacuees arrived at the hangar with their pets — which often seemed as traumatized as their owners. Recognizing that caring for these pets was an important aspect of caring for the evacuees, the Core Group quickly arranged to have pet care supplies at the evacuation centre. Many evacuees wouldn’t accept personal helpDRAFT until their pets had been fed, and some were overcome with emotion once their pets had been cared for. It was clear to the Core Group that evacuees received vital emotional support from their pets. In additional to care packages for people, the Core Group added pet care packages to the offerings at the Evacuation Centre.

September 10th, 2019. Evacuated unclaimed pets make their journey to the Bahamas Humane Society to join the adoption program there. Photo credit: Julia Roberts.

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FAR LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: First sketch of layout of evacuation process was made late at night on September 5th, 2019. Process evolves on whiteboard as more and more cargo arrives. By September 8th, layout is in its most complex state: full evacuation process, including meals and play area for infants and children, fully equipped medical area, and designated cargo bay.

IMMEDIATE LEFT: Flow chart to capture evacuee movement through facility. Flow chart ensured all movements were being thought of and accommodated. Also used a training tool for volunteers.

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Page 55 of 83 EVACUATION CENTRE

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: September 10th, 2019 A contained play area has been set up in the Evacuation Centre for children to enjoy while their parents check in and register. September 7th, 2019 The entrance to the Evacuation Centre as experienced by arriving persons. September 11th, 2019 a brief lull in arrivals gives volunteers manning the registration desk time to relax. Photo credits: Nick Klonaris Sr.

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Page 56 of 83 8. Security DONEC QUIS NUNC

Security at the Main Gate

Security was a priority issue for the Core Group. In addition to access, and managed traffic from 0800 to 2100 daily. One of their protecting the privacy of the evacuees and ensuring their safety jobs was to manage congestion at the EWC as many families and throughout their time at the Evacuation Centre, there were many friends arrived daily to collect or find evacuees. other security and practical considerations, including: Families had to wait until a check of the database confirmed that an — maintaining orderly access for volunteers and family of evacuees evacuee had been registered before they were allowed to enter the — protecting Odyssey’s facilities and assets Welcome Centre. The goal was not to create barriers to family — protecting the many thousands of dollars of emergency relief aid reunification, only to manage traffic so that families could be — safeguarding items on loan to the Core Group reunited as quickly as possible. — managing large numbers of the general public — controlling the often devious media The work of security volunteers was very sensitive. Family and friends arriving to collect evacuees often had to wait while evacuees Odyssey has its own staffedDRAFT security gate which manages the usual were located. All parties had just been through a traumatic access by employees, pilots, Customs agents, and by private airlift experience, and families waiting to be reunited often needed clients, such as aircraft owners and tourists. reassurance that an evacuee was okay and being helped. Also requiring sensitive handling were family members who arrived With the establishment of the private sector’s operations hub at looking for information on a missing person or hoping that an Odyssey, the volume of traffic on to the complex increased sharply unaccounted-for individual had arrived. and traffic related to hub operations needed to be handled separately from FBO business. Odyssey security staff handled requests by members of the media to access the facility. At first, all credentialed media were allowed The Core Group formed a security team which joined Odyssey’s access to the property, but not the hangar. Odyssey erected a media team at the Main Gate. These volunteers, vetted entrants, controlled tent near the entrance to its main lobby. The media only used the

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Page 57 of 83 SECURITY

tent for a day or two because it wasn’t “where the action was.” A medical personnel were exempt from the wrist-band security number of them became devious and troublesome as they tried to system and were given unfettered access to the hangar. sneak or force their way into off-limit areas of the Evacuation Centre. Points of access were clearly marked as IN or OUT, to enhance monitoring and control. A weak spot was the hangar’s wide open By the first weekend after the storm, many curious members of the north wall providing unencumbered access to the ramp. public and well-intentioned church groups and NGOs began to arrive at Odyssey. Vehicle after vehicle lined the major street By the first weekend (Sept 7th and 8th) the community’s desire to adjacent to the Odyssey facility creating dangerous traffic obstacles help was peaking and the site was overwhelmed by those wanting and unsafe conditions for pedestrians. The RBPF were enlisted to to volunteer. Security volunteers now had to manage evacuees, help. families, volunteers and crowds, as many “disaster sightseers” came to look. The situation led further restricted access as a means of ensuring smooth operations and controlling congestion on the property. By Known volunteers and those who were scheduled to help were Sunday, September 8th, access by the public, including the media, given immediate access to the site. Other volunteers were asked to was allowed only on a case-by-case basis. Demand for public wait for help to be needed or to come back later if no additional access to the facilityDRAFT slowly declined as awareness of the help was needed at the time. restrictions grew. Team leaders made on-going efforts to communicate with the pool Security at the Hangar Gate of willing volunteers. Messages were sent out via WhatsApp and social media that announced when immediate help was needed or warned that there was sufficient support. Messages also called for Access granted at the Main Gate did not automatically mean specialized help such as teachers and translators on a needs basis. access to the hangar. Separate security measures were put in place to control access there. These measures included colour-coded The dynamic nature of the site meant that, at times, there were wristbands for volunteers that changed every day and allowed shortages of volunteers and, at other times, there were long wait access only on the day the color was relevant. Team Leaders and

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Page 58 of 83 SECURITY

lists of willing helpers with nothing to do. The largest inﬂux of volunteers was on weekends and after-work hours. Team leaders made several attempts to schedule key volunteer positions in advance but found that the system ran more smoothly when it could respond ﬂexibly with a pool of volunteer labour.

Volunteers providing security at the hangar had to be particularly well-versed in most aspects of the Core Group’s operations. These volunteers were often the first-line problem solvers. They directed evacuees, ensured that other volunteers knew how to fill their roles, organized cargo bothDRAFT incoming and outgoing, coordinated communication between various locations, and controlled access generally. Their team and schedule allowed for multiple “runners” at any time to respond to changing situations, solve problems, and fill in where necessary. Ideal for security, Odyssey’s hangar (above) and its entire complex is completely fenced in. Additional fencing was erected around the Welcome Centre to provide a safe barrier around that space during the evacuation period. Photo credit: Gary Larson.

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Page 59 of 83 9. Emergency Aid Logistics DONEC QUIS NUNC

Overview indicate more than 400,000 pounds of emergency aid was handled in the ﬁrst 14-day period.

Within a few days of Dorian’s landfall, there was an enormous local As the hangar was also the point of arrival for the evacuees, the and international outpouring of support. As early as September Core Group had to quickly identify a flexible method to integrate 2nd, when members of the public assembled at NPCC for that first the arrival of multiple pallets of cargo while simultaneously meeting, donations of food, water, basic medical supplies, and preserving a dignified evacuation registration process. Cargo was clothing were already being received, stockpiled, and sorted in the usually assimilated into the hangar by forklift and delineating space auditorium at the NPCC. for moving equipment to operate safely among many mobile people was a high priority. Emergency aid began arriving by air at Odyssey by September 3rd. Much of it was consigned to international NGOs for their missions Several times during the first two weeks, the layout of the hangar on the ground but a lot of it was international goodwill, including was modified multiple times in a day, an indication of both the two Amazon Prime Air cargo flights bringing relief supplies DRAFTlearning curve the Core Group was on and the flexibility its leaders donated by the company and Amazon customers from around the had to make decisions, analyze effectiveness, and adapt if world. warranted. The system had to accommodate the arrival of the cargo and to ensure that the cargo was easy to locate and forward Sometimes there was advanced notification of a shipment. But on to impacted communities. often the aid arrived without warning and needed to be quickly managed. Odyssey’s operations team had its hands full with flight In the earliest days, as the private aircraft began their flights, the activity on the ramp and its hangar had been turned over to the Core Team decided on the spot what to send where, using both Core Group. By default, the Core Group assumed responsibility for reports from on the ground and intuition. Water, an especially managing a growing warehouse of supplies. Odyssey’s records heavy resource to move by air, was put on every flight. Other emergency aid was added as space and weight allowed.

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Page 60 of 83 EMERGENCY AID LOGISTICS

Fluidity in the hangar was not without interruption. Just as some of the cargo arrived without warning, often the c o n s i g n e e w o u l d a l s o a r r i v e unannounced, wanting to take immediate action with his/her shipment. Bahamas Custom Officers also arrived without notice, wanting verification that all goods received were in fact emergency aid. Health officials appeared, wanting to inspect medical supplies for expiration dates. In the midst of the evacuee arrivals, these situations often seemed ill-timed at best and created unnecessary log jams at worst.

September 11th 2019. Emergency aid as practically ﬁlled the hangar, putting huge strains on other aspects The arrival of cargo forDRAFT international NGOs of the operation. Photo credit: Diane Holowesko Dunkley was one way the Core Group made connections within that community. Transportation of relief supplies is an Specialized staff need to be paid, likely for Representatives from those NGOs arriving entirely separate endeavour, one with its overtime. In these regards, the private at Odyssey to retrieve their supplies own equipment and personnel needs. sector again demonstrated its capacity to encountered the Core Group. The Large pallets of donations require forklifts quickly mobilize the human and machine discovery of willing, active volunteers with and people who can operate them. resources needed to move cargo. local connections and expertise caused Transporting cargo requires large ﬂatbed other NGOs to gravitate to Odyssey. trucks with drivers, marine vessels, or A prime example is the role of Caribbean aircraft. Machinery requires fuel. Bottling Company (CBC) played in

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transporting supplies after Hurricane Caribbean Bottling Company Bahamas Ltd. / Coca-Cola Company Dorian. Steeped in logistics, warehousing

Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC) manufactures and distributes Coca-Cola products in The Bahamas and distribution expertise and capacity, with facilities in both New Providence and Grand Bahama. Since Hurricane Joaquin devastated parts of CBC was repeatedly able to provide quick the Southeastern Bahamas in 2015, CBC has played a role in hurricane relief. Thanks to the company’s solutions to the movement of cargo both strong sense of corporate citizenship and experience with logistics, CBC steps in to fill multiple roles in intra- and inter island. the post-disaster environment. Among its product line, the company produces bottled water and manufactures its own plastic bottles. CBC has a warehouse for its merchandise and an existing It was easy for the Core Group to place distribution network that includes forklifts, flatbeds, and experienced drivers. emphasis on the dire need to assist the After a hurricane, demand for clean water is immediate and unrelenting. Survivors and responders need evacuees. But as more and more cargo water to drink, for clean-up efforts, and for personal hygiene. Water is heavy and transporting large arrived at the hangar — eventually taking quantities of water is a logistical nightmare. After Dorian, CBC found an easier way to get clean water to up two-thirds of the floor space — it the affected areas: yachts with seawater desalination and purification systems. Putting these filters to work became very apparent that a proper provided a local source of water and shifted the demand from the water itself to its distribution. The new logistics plan and team was needed. A demand was for hygienic bottles. CBC helped deliver empty bottles, much lighter and less costly to transport, to the affected islands to be filled from the filtered supplies. team of volunteers was created to coordinate in-flow and and out-flow of CBC also mobilised itsDRAFT own human and machine resources to transport water and supplies donated by cargo. other private-sector actors. The International Red Cross collaborated with Amazon to deliver supplies via air. Norwegian Cruise Lines provided a large supply of bottled water to the Salvation Army but the Emergency Aid by Sea organizations had limited means to store or distribute the relief items. A stockpile of water ended up in NEMA’s warehouse. CBC used its own flatbeds and drivers to help distribute donated supplies to evacuation centres and shelters, supplementing the government’s limited access to large vehicles or the By no means did all relief arrive by air. requisite drivers. Abaco is a popular destination for international fisherman and second-home Coca-Cola’s Latin Center Business Unit also took quick action. Within days of Dorian, a planeload of supplies was on its way to New Providence from Coca-Cola Puerto Rico. Donations included thousands of owners, many of whom have developed cases of water and a large cash donation to the Salvation Army in Nassau. close ties to the islands and its residents. After Dorian, these regular visitors rallied

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their own emergency response, sending emergency supplies by the boatload.

Another source of early transport of private sector-coordinated relief supplies was a volunteer group of captains from Spanish Wells. Their barges already ran regularly scheduled cargo collection between Nassau and Spanish Wells and they generously committed to ﬁlling all empty space on their barges with relief items to transport back to Spanish Wells.

The first barges, capable of holding over 130 pallets of relief supplies, arrived in Nassau as early as the evening of September Forklift and volunteers work arriving emergency aid on September 10th, 4th. On these first trips, barge space was filled with pallets of 2019. Photo credit: Nick Klonaris Sr. donated items and at least three 275-gallon fuel containers. Water, fuel, and dry goods such as clothing, cleaning products, bedding international news. The devastation had resonated with people and and pet food were crucial needs at this time. companies around the world and the out-pouring began.

DRAFTAs with every natural disaster, the type of emergency aid needed Upon arrival in Spanish Wells, local businesses handled the warehousing and repackaging of the supplies for distribution to the changes almost as quickly as the situations on the ground, often Abaco Cays by the Marine Response Team. rendering some donations irrelevant or surplus by the time they reach their intended destination. Matching Aid to Evolving Needs For instance, shipments of infant and adult diapers were still arriving in bulk by the time the urgent need on the ground had The Bahamas’ first calls for emergency aid asked for supplies to shifted to tarps and plywood. In another instance, one Abaco meet the most urgent needs of survivors: drinking water, food, community specifically urged, “Please do not send any more diapers, batteries, clothing, fuel canisters, tarps, tools, and nails. toothpaste, we have enough to last a year!” The flip side of the These calls went out on websites, social media, and local and

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challenge was that some people in the impacted communities More and more in recent years in disasters around the world, hoarded emergency aid — e.g. generators — and then attempted to greater emphasis has been placed on monetary donations. Cash sell the items later. enables the impacted country to access supplies that meet the most current and urgent needs. The value of this was seen in The The Core Group’s NEMA coordinator discussed GOB’s global Bahamas post Dorian. After Dorian, the volume of donation — tens messaging to with NEMA. The Core Group hoped GOB would give of thousands of pounds of aid — and the ad-hoc nature of the more consideration to “lag time” — the time it takes for the inventory clogged the relief effort, both at the Odyssey hangar and messaging to be received around the world, acted on, shipped, at the receiving points in the affected communities. and ﬁnally received by those in need. That process takes enough time to render donations received on the ground virtually The Core Group’s experience reinforced the notion that cash is the outdated, supplanted by new needs and urgencies. fastest and best way to provide targeted emergency aid to impacted communities. One of the team leaders remarked, “we were bound and determined not to let what has happened with emergency aid in other countries happen in The Bahamas. But the system is ﬂawed — everywhere, not just here. And sure enough, we had aid sitting unused at airports andDRAFT docks.”

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ABOVE AND CLOCKWISE: September 11th, 2019 emergency aid continues to arrive by the pallet full. Photo credit: Diane Holowesko Dunkley. Supplies arrive by barge load in Marsh Harbour for World Food Programme. Photo credit: Unknown. September 6th, 2019 Volunteers breakout aid shipments, sort, and repackage for onward delivery to impacted areas. Photo credit: Julia Roberts.

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Page 65 of 83 10. Coordinating NGOs DONEC QUIS NUNC

Many of the international NGO representatives who converged at Odyssey see and work with each other in responses around the world. They were quick to seek out each other in the initial days after Dorian. They also made contact with Core Group Leaders and began sharing information.

At first, exchanges were very focused, limited largely to the activity of that particular NGO in a particular area and in specific theme, e.g. water, sanitation, infrastructure. As the number of NGOs grew, ad hoc information exchange became more time consuming and less efficient. CoordinationDRAFT was necessary. With assistance from YachtAid and GSD, the Core Group NGO Liaison convened the first Dorian cluster meetings. These morning briefings were open to all international NGOs and were very well attended. The common objectives were to share information across International NGO reps gather with the Core Group in the Odyssey Aviation Hangar office complex at sectors and to allow the NGOs themselves to the first cluster meeting. Photo credit Joanne Robertson identify opportunities for partnership. The

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Page 66 of 83 COORDINATING NGOS

coordination that ensued meant less gaps and overlaps and propelled the private sector response forward in a more uniﬁed and directed manner.

When the UN Ofﬁce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) arrived in country, they were pleasantly surprised to ﬁnd preliminary cluster coordination was already taking shape and remarked that the early action of the Core Group had put The Bahamas response about one-week ahead of a typical response timeline in similar countries.

In conjunction with NEMA, OCHA took over the coordination of the NGOs. Meetings were moved, ﬁrst to NEMA and then to the National Training Agency. As the Bahamas follows the structures set forth by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the regional inter-governmental agency for disaster management.DRAFT CDEMA organizes under emergency support functions (ESFs) and the format of the coordination meetings followed suit.

NGO cluster meeting Needs Assessment Chart September 10th, 2019. Photo credit Julia Roberts

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Page 67 of 83 11. Select Lessons and Recommendations

DONEC QUIS NUNC

PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS collaboration with NEMA were not entirely Lessons Learned and Recommendations successful. The government was more focused on gaining a full understanding of With nimbleness and speed the private It would be fair to say in almost every hour of the situation on the ground, putting its own the fourteen day period multiple lessons were sector responded to Hurricane Dorian. At machinery into gear, and fulfilling its roles learned by the Core Group. In the interest of its disposal and free from red tape was a and responsibilities. This was an especially brevity, Bahamas Strong has taken a very select multi-dimensional machinery which approach in deciding which lessons to include important lesson for the private sector: encompassed manpower, equipment, here. NEMA is, of course, mandated to carry out networks, financial resources, and trust — emergency response and it was only right amongst individuals, businesses, NGO Further, the recommendations included here that their focus be on their mandate. are succinct. In its brevity, Bahamas Strong does sector partners, and donors. not wish to give the impression that the But, the Core Group was determined to recommendations noted are the only way(s) This private sector apparatus is not forward. move forward, and did so — at a pace that necessarily unique to The Bahamas. In perhaps surprised its public sector DRAFTsimilar countries around the world, it has The very ethos of Bahamas Strong is counterparts. collaboration. In that light, and recognizing the been demonstrated repeatedly in great depth of experience our partners and responses to natural disasters and other For many days, the private sector sensed wider colleagues may have, additional emergencies, that these qualities of the that NEMA felt it had interfered. However, recommendations are always welcome and can private sector are usually not present time seemed critical to the entire nation be submitted to Bahamas Strong via email at within the governments. [email protected] and the Core Group was only trying to help fill gaps and get emergency aid to the Further lacking — certainly in the first days — We remain open to listen and learn! people of Abaco and Grand Bahama as was the government’s understanding of quickly as possible. the scope and complexity of the private sector ’s response. First efforts at ______

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While devastated communities in need Recommendations: COMMUNICATION the world over might always and Dorian clearly demonstrates there is great understandably criticize response times, it leverage to be gained from private sector It is well documented in disaster response cannot be argued that, post-Dorian, the involvement. Best practice suggests that literature that communication and the private sector was able to respond more such public-private partnerships (P3s) be multiple ways in which it can fail are quickly than the government. This is an captured within a Memorandum of always major challenges. Hurricane important lesson for the public sector to Understanding (MOU), where roles and D o r i a n c o n fi r m e d t h e l i t e rat u re . learn. responsibilities are articulated and Communication issues cut across carriers, expectations are clearly established. infrastructure, equipment, departmental It has not been properly quantified, only hierarchies, personal networks, social very generally estimated: the value of the MOUs also clearly communicate the media platforms and more. private sector’s response to Dorian in the concept of partnership to the general first fourteen days is in the order of public and build accountability and The Core Group inherently understood multiple millions of dollars. Certainly, this transparency. P3s bring together the the value of leveraging local networks and should be a key take-away for all. expertise and resources of both sectors, in doing so it quickly enhanced its increase capacities and the rate at which capacity to communicate effectively. Local The Core Group wasDRAFT very grateful that the critical national priorities can be residents know the lay of the land. They Prime Minister and several Cabinet addressed. These are urgently needed in know who to contact to get something Ministers saw its operations at the the disaster response sector. done. Localized networks, built on trust, Odyssey Hangar. It certainly was can help create accurate situation reports important at the time. The Core Group It has been noted multiple times and in on immediate conditions and needs. The also hoped those site visits would have multiple fora that the time to create “everyone knows everyone” reality of life value in the future - particularly when it partnerships is not in the heat of the in The Bahamas can be an incredibly came time to build on the response to emergency response. Preparedness effective disaster response resource. Dorian and increase national capacities in implies that partnerships are already in preparedness, response, and resiliency place prior to the emergency.

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The Core Group relied heavily on and with their families at grounds zero, vivid detail. A sharp contrast was created WhatsApp as its communication primary any initial negative impact to situational between this flow of open source platform. While this presented some awareness was certainly understandable. (unofficial) information and the guarded, challenges, the benefits far outweighed slow-to-be-released, official information them. The secure, public platform is widely Subsequently, though, even as reliable coming from NEMA. The dichotomy used throughout The Bahamas. Its i n f o r m a t i o n fl o w e d i n t o N E M A s created wide-spread tension, accelerated ubiquitousness could not possibly be Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) from p u b l i c o p i n i o n t h a t N E M A w a s duplicated on another platform and in a experienced NGO first-responders and unprepared, and undermined confidence time frame the situation warranted. others on the ground, there was little in the national disaster response agency. evidence that it was flowing back out of it WhatApp has other important features — at least not in a manner that served the Certainly, one of the risks with open that became indispensable to effective public’s interest, alleviated national source information is accuracy and communication: group chat makes shared anxiety, and reduced panic. In other reliability. Having to take the time to verify information visible to all in chronological words, communication was breaking information in the height of the response order. Conversation threads can be down. can be time-consuming, stressful and examined asynchronously or shared fraught with its own challenges. Several immediately in real DRAFT time, across multiple Other realities compounded the situation. times the Core Team found itself having to locations and under diverse conditions. Because of mobile technology and social do just that. media platforms, the entire world watched Within a very short timeframe after the storm arrive from incredibly personal In today’s world, information moves at the Dorian’s landfall, the general public began perspectives — a woman pleading speed of sound. Every person with a to feel that NEMA was very behind with desperately for help as roaring flood cellular phone becomes a “repeater node” situational awareness. Given the extent of waters swelled violently around her in a rapidly expanding network. This reality the devastation in Abaco and Grand apartment is but one example. And then, requires that a better balance must be Bahama and the experience NEMA’s own through the lens of survivors, the world found between rapid open-source team members went through personally saw Dorian’s aftermath in real-time and information and official updates. Any

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inability or unwillingness to address this Standard operating procedures should be which, in turn, contributed to high levels will result in continual communications established for WhatsApp (or similar) of confusion. Barely 48 hours after failures in the future. groups. Protocols to verify and report Dorian’s landfall, the questions rang out. information, establish reporting How many people were medevaced? Recommendations: hierarchies, preserve continuity, minimize How many people evacuated on their Within the scope of the national resilience confusion, establish confidentiality, and own? How many people remained? How strategy, public-private partnerships practices to share across networks should many people are missing? How many should include a comprehensive and be included. p e o p l e a re l o s t ? I n a d d i t i o n t o formalized communications strategy for contributing to national anxiety, these disaster response. EVACUATION unanswered questions severely impacted the ability to plan and respond. To increase communications capacity, the In the wake of Dorian’s destruction, nation’s recognition of first responders The confusion of the earliest evacuations thousands of Abaco and Grand Bahama should be widened to include local, taught the lesson that there must be a residents fled their islands creating the private citizens and citizen networks, quick, flexible, and accurate system for largest scale evacuation the country has qualified NGOs and other strategic documenting survivors, tracking rescues, ever known. The private sector led and partners. DRAFTand tracing evacuations. The slower the executed the process — and now, system, the greater the delay in providing ironically, has more experience with large Tried and tested information and relief or rescue to distressed and scale evacuation than the government. communication technology should be vulnerable people. Many lessons were learned. identified, acquired, and pre-positioned. Communication teams should be At the same time, accuracy cannot be Multiple points and methods of departure identified. Training and practice should sacrificed in the interest of speed. Many for evacuees evolved. While this was become habitual. Unity in a national people were unaccounted for after the helpful in alleviating critical situations, the disaster communications strategy should storm and anxious families and friends absence of a national evacuation be established before a disaster. During is were desperate for reliable word about procedure resulted in significant data loss, too late. survivors. ______

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Core Group teams in Nassau and late hours over which evacuations took Dorian’s impact on Abaco and Grand Eleuthera immediately focused on using place, a system for assuring that vessels Bahama clearly demonstrated that web-based Google tools to create arriving “after hours” was overlooked. evacuation doesn’t happen when a collaborative electronic spreadsheets and Many vessels arrived without the government permits it to. It happens documents. This enabled up-to-date knowledge of NEMA or the Department when impacted people on the ground comprehensive data sharing in real time. of Social Services. Again, data leakage make the decision to get themselves and was significant. their loved ones to safety. NEMA did not have the same capacity. Paper records were compiled manually, Yet, pilots and boat captains cannot be Our archipelagic nation and limited and how they were processed afterwards expected to single-handedly uphold national capacity dictate that teams of first was unclear. This discrepancy in record- protocols when they arrive at airstrips or responders and coordinators from within keeping created a large data gap which, ports and find masses of people local communities must be formed to during the height of the response, d e s p e rat e t o l ea v e . L a rg e s c a l e complement NEMA’s network. The ability undoubtedly helped fuel the worst fears evacuation requires coordination at both to rally around and rescue entire of the impact of Dorian. There simply was ends. communities will only ever be successful not enough accurate information to when the public and private sectors counter speculation orDRAFT misinformation. Disaster response planning has to include collaborate. anticipating needs, right up to and There were also a number of practical including large scale evacuation. This was Recommendations: matters which impeded evacuation not evident in Dorian. In fact, members of A large-scale national evacuation plan effectiveness. When vessels such as g o v e r n m e n t w e r e d o w n p l a y i n g should be fully developed based on the Mailboats were engaged, unreliable and evacuation as late as September 2nd, model which emerged in Dorian’s often times illegible passenger manifests giving the impression it would only aftermath. Many lessons were learned and were shared - if at all. Forward happen if government made that these should be discussed thoroughly communication about transit and arrival decision. and amalgamated into the formal, times did not happen. Given the long and national plan. Advanced community

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education programs on the national The Bahamas should not use disaster matched the volume and to actually evacuation plan are urgently needed. responses to address other societal process the international NGOs in a timely These should include individual, issues. All persons needing to evacuate a fashion. The situation was extremely community, private and public sectors devastated area must be able to do so stressful for all involved — public and responsibilities, under a theme that without fear or further traumatization — private sector individuals. It was further promotes the notion: “Help us Help You.” both of which can induce an evacuee to complicated by efforts to use personal not evacuate (when they should) or give influence to gain approvals and efforts to Nationally, spatial data capacity and a false information (which complicates data “get started” with absolutely no approvals backward and pervasive mentality about management so critical to large-scale in place. The many factors and moving data sharing are, in a word, archaic. They evacuations). pieces slowed down the response rate for severely hamper preparedness and legitimately qualified NGOs to get on the response efforts, especially large-scale INTERNATIONAL NGOs ground. evacuations. Further complicating the situation was the Repeatedly, around the world in post- As a matter of priority, The Bahamas perceived slowness of NEMA in the disaster responses, first response efforts needs to elevate the importance of spatial height of the emergency response period. at unprecedented scales can easily data to national planningDRAFT and resilience This led a number of international NGOs become their own crises that must be building and increase capacity in this to stop communicating with NEMA managed. After Dorian, The Bahamas sector quickly. Within a spirit of altogether causing things to go from bad experienced an unparalleled level of collaboration and availability of data, to worse. response from international NGOs. Many effective national evacuation plans can be of them had long, distinguished histories, built. Public-private partnerships will be On the ground, some of the international while others clearly had no extensive needed to quickly and effectively build NGOs, especially in the medical arena, experience at all. capacities in these regards. were not up to international standards and created worrisome, if not unsafe, NEMA worked simultaneously to fully situations. create and implement a process that

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Recommendations: here that international NGOs are “the Further, local businesses often take huge Three key recommendations emerge: one, enemy”! The point is, even the greatest economic hits as foreign entities drive an adaptable, transparent process should planners understand the critical need for goods into the country that local be implemented for international NGOs to flexibility. In addressing the requirements businesses themselves can provide, or at register as an intended in-country disaster to effectively and efficiently manage least source. responder. The process should be 100% international NGOs, NEMA should remain developed and tested prior to the next fully committed to the notion that their Warehousing and logistics capacities are need. Also, it should be widely publicized plan and/or process must be flexible. often overwhelmed by the volume and so as not to disenfranchise the NGOs or NEMA must be willing and able to labor-intensive activities of unpacking, The Bahamas. improvise and/or deviate from the plan sorting, repacking, and forwarding. should circumstances warrant. Two: NEMA’s capacity (human and Lastly, there are persistent calls for technical) to efficiently and effectively HUMANITARIAN AID, CARGO humanitarian aid to be primarily cash- manage non-Bahamian disaster first AND LOGISTICS based. This increases a country’s capacity responders should be carefully examined to laser-focus acquisition and distribution and addressed. NEMA should have a of supplies as needed. Humanitarian aid is a multi-faceted issue. communications center dedicated solely DRAFTThe literature suggests there are repeated to coordinating emergency first response. In numerous ways and at different levels cases around the world where countries No process, no matter how well it is these issues are inter-twined. can be overwhelmed by humanitarian aid designed, will stand the test of the and, as a result, much of it goes to waste. emergency response period if the Recommendation Cash-based aid: capacity does not match the need. A thorough discussion needs to happen Another complexity is the rate at which on whether cash truly is the most effective needs on the ground change, often having Three: Militaries are renown planners. response to national disasters. If it is, moved beyond the type of aid arriving at Nonetheless, around the world, they have signifi cant national and multi-national the time. a saying that “no plan survives first contact efforts should be made to build that with the enemy.” There is no suggestion message and culture. Governments do not

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have the best records in effective and importation of bottled water. Numerous that not all aid is useful when it arrives. transparent management of cash local businesses produce bottled water Given this, it might be useful to a adopt an donations. The private sector should be and could easily have been called on. “if:then” structuring to the call for aid seen and utilized as an alternative — most which would work this way: effectively in a consolidated, not The Ministry of Disaster Preparedness and — If aid will arrive in the impacted area by fragmented, manner. The Bahamas should Response, the policy-setting body, should date A, please consider donating X. take the lead. examine how, in the first instance, — If aid will arrive in the impacted area by international NGOs might be required to date B, please consider donating Y. Preserving local businesses: work through local businesses to source/ This is a critically important issue and there provide humanitarian aid. If no local Warehousing: are numerous examples from which to business can provide what’s needed, the It is crucial to implement a system for chose. One post-Dorian example provides fallback position would be for the receiving and distributing cargo to ensure a highlight: more medical, surgical and i n t e r n a t i o n a l N G O t o s o u rc e i t s that it is efficiently delivered where it is pharmaceuticals supplies came into The humanitarian aid from its own network. most needed and can be appropriately Bahamas in a two-week period as The “local business” stipulation would stored once delivered. Even the most humanitarian aid than the entire annual r e q u i r e a d v a n c e p l a n n i n g a n d urgently needed supplies have to be tender of a localDRAFT medical supplies commitments. housed somewhere and affected areas company. may have few undamaged locations to Timing & type of aid to meet the needs: serve as warehouses. More to the point, in numerous instances, The evolution of needs after a disaster local businesses are the national seems to be fairly predictable. The urgent Reports from Hope Town, Abaco were that distributors for the arriving aid. This is true need for drinking water, food, or baby the settlement had to turn away medical for far more than the medical, surgical, and products changes to an urgent need for supplies since there was no place to store pharmaceutical industries. Lumber, tarps, chain saws, and plywood. Very them. In Florida, 22 containers filled with generators, tarps, and infant supplies are quickly, calls for and the receipt of aid sat on a dock because there was no other prime examples. Perhaps one of the donations become out of sync with needs more space available to accommodate more egregious situations was the on the ground. The fact of the matter is them in The Bahamas.

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On the practical side, dedicated Preparedness should lean into rather than To a limited degree, this also happens in warehouse space for cargo and aid helps away from these partners. disaster response through the intra- volunteers to sort supplies, distribute what governmental partnerships with NEMA is relevant and reassign what is not in a EXPANDING CAPACITY ACROSS and the ESFs. much more organized and efﬁcient THE BOARD AND INTO THE manner. PRIVATE SECTOR In a small, developing country like The Bahamas, these two examples hint at the Logistics: possibility of extraordinarily increased In times of crises or national importance, Dorian demonstrated the valuable role capacity if the private sector is truly the government has a system to enlist that private sector equipment, personnel, recognized as a partner and engaged support from across the civil service sector and expertise can play in the distribution accordingly. and expand capacity almost instantly. For of humanitarian aid. Warehousing and example, this happens in national logistics are complicated specialties that Small steps of progress have been made elections when trained and experienced NEMA does have expertise in, nor does it in recent years. With the magnitude of civil servants are seconded to the election need to. Many relevant Bahamian tasks before us, now is the time to fully process to run polling divisions and the companies have the employees and embrace the transformative potential of administrative tasks of conducting an resources that can be assigned to the public-private partnerships. DRAFTelection. e m e r g e n c y r e s p o n s e p e r i o d .

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Page 76 of 83 Appendix I BAHAMAS STRONG ALLIANCE

In January, 2020, the Core Group formalized as Bahamas Strong and in August ﬁnalized its branding as Bahamas Strong Alliance, a fully-registered NGO. The Bahamas Strong Alliance is focused on three strategic areas, all related to natural disaster preparedness:

Pillar 1: Lead, Prepare, Respond: The creation and maintenance of a National Natural Disaster Resilience Strategy is the fundamental reason for the existence of the Bahamas Strong Alliance. The Strategy is a living resource and will be updated on a continuous basis.

Pillar 2: Match Resources to Needs: In addition to seeking funds to support its core programs and activities, Bahamas Strong will operate as a supporting and funding charity of other organizations through its Grants Program. Its Grants Program will allow for the monetary funding of non-proﬁt organizations involved in relief, recovery and resilience building in The Bahamas. For more information please email us at: Pillar 3: Information Repository: Given its expertise and experience during the response to Hurricane Dorian and in the months [email protected] afterward, the Bahamas Strong Alliance is uniquely qualiﬁed to Visit us at www.bahamasstrong.org, on Facebook and Instagram become a data-driven repository for relief, recovery and resilience.

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Page 77 of 83 Appendix II THE WIDER RESPONSE TO HURRICANE DORIAN: SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To continue improving disaster preparedness in The ([email protected]) and be in keeping with the following Bahamas, Bahamas Strong Alliance will publish a requirements: comprehensive report in May, 2021 that captures the wider private sector response to Hurricane Dorian and 3.i Submission should include a Main Report section and a Lessons the many lessons learned. We invite contributions from Learned section which must be in MS Word, e.g. .doc or or .docx (not PDF). the private sector — Bahamian and international businesses and NGOs. Your story is important to 3.ii No more than 4 figures or images can be included. Each figure capture and learn from. or image should be submitted as a separate file with clear notation in the body of the text as to the precise location of the figure or 1. Submission Overview: The publication will cover the six-month image. period from September 1, 2019, to March 15, 2020 (which largely covers responses prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic). 3.iii The title page should include: title, short title (if applicable), Any private sector entity or non-governmental organization author(s) full name and affi liations, email addresses, and involved in the response to Hurricane Dorian is invited to contribute acknowledgements. to this publication. DRAFT 3.iv The Main Report text should include keywords, including 2. Declaration of Interest: must be received by November 15, identification of EFSs (see below), either or both the locations 2020 via email ([email protected]). The Declaration of Abaco or Grand Bahama, and the names of any relevant cays or Interest must include: name of submitting entity (business, NGO, settlements. etc.), name, position, and email address of contact person, no more than 1/2 page summary of submission, identification of EFS(s) the 3.v The Main Report (excluding keywords) should not exceed 2,500 report touch on, letter from top executive of the entity confirming words in length. Lessons Learned text should not exceed 750 contact person is official representative. words. Lessons learned should also be crossed-referenced with 3. Submissions: must be received by January 15, 2021 via email EFS(s) which are listed at #6 below.

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4. Review of Draft: each submitting entity will receive a draft of its 6. Emergency Support Functions (EFS): #1 Transportation, #2 submission no later than March 15, 2021 and have until March 31, Communications, #3 Public Works & Engineering, #4 International 2021 to review and approve. No late approvals will be accepted. Assistance, #5 Planning & Information, #6 Shelter Services, #7 Relief Supplies & Distribution, #8 Health & Medical Services, #9a Urban 5. Publishing Date: the comprehensive report will be published on Search & Rescue, #9b Marine Search & Rescue, #10a Hazardous May 1, 2021 and used as a tool to prepare for the 2021 Hurricane Materials - Land, #10b Hazardous Materials - Marine, #10c Season and beyond. Authors may be contacted and invited to Bioterrorism, #11 Food Emergency, #12 Tourism, #13 Volunteers, participate as a presentersDRAFT or panelist in a preparedness event. #14 Veterinarian Services & Animal Care.

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Page 79 of 83 Appendix III METHODOLOGY USE TO COMPILE THIS REPORT

Members of the Core Group of volunteers from the private sector presented here. A ghost writer was engaged to help pull together shared narratives of their roles in the emergency response during the accounts, undertake basic research, and ensure this document this two-week period and their recollections of the dynamic meets international publishing standards. Analysis of the team environment in which they operated. Team leaders in particular leader accounts forms the basis for the lessons learned and were asked to provide a detailed account of how each team recommendations for the future. identiﬁed actions to take, which actions they took, and the timeline of events. These accountsDRAFT were compiled into the larger narrative

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