FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA — Opposition Leader and Marco City MP Michael Pintard yesterday called for a greater sense of urgency to Hurricane Dorian assistance that he suggested has been needed since the passage of the deadly storm in 2019.
“Let’s pull together, the tribalism will not help us in Grand Bahama, it will not help us in The Bahamas,” he said.
“And leadership that understands what Abaco has gone through and what Grand Bahama is going through would find every opportunity to work with every single person no matter their political color because we need it. People are hurting, and we believe that they could be healed to the extent that we pull together and not on each other.”
Pintard delivered an emotive address at a memorial service held in remembrance of Hurricane Dorian victims at Jubilee Cathedral in Freeport.
He recalled the moments rising flood waters forced him into the roof along with his wife and daughter. Pintard said they turned to God who provided peace in what he described as the most difficult experience in their entire lives.
“It was a difficult period, but one thing was clear as we looked online before we lost the phones, is that all over Grand Bahama, people were taking the initiative to save neighbors, to save strangers, and so today it brings back a lot of memories,” he said.
“As we reflect today, as we say condolence, as we celebrate those persons, the faith-based organizations that were there for all of us. The thing that is most pressing to me, I live in a neighborhood where less than 50 percent of residents have returned. Less than 50 percent.
“Many cannot rebuild, didn’t have insurance. They still need help. Many of them are so traumatized the return of rain is traumatic for them, adults not just children.
Pintard continued: “So when we were in, the new government that’s in, what is clear to me is that there has to be a sense of urgency about how we help people to rebuild. The church is doing it by praying and ministering to people, some of the NGOs are trying but they’re under-resourced.
“As policymakers, I’m here because I stand with Chester Cooper and the members of this government in our collective attempt to rebuild, but there has to be a greater sense of urgency. It was needed in 2019, needed in 2020, needed in 2021, and it is surely needed even more right now in 2022. Many people are still hurting, they are still suffering.”
Pintard served as Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources in the former Minnis-led administration.
On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper led a delegation to lay wreaths at four sites in East Grand Bahama: the Sir Jack Hayward Bridge, Freetown, Mclean’s Town, and High Rock.
During his own remarks at the service yesterday, Cooper said he was happy to hear Pintard acknowledge that in the early days after the storm, relief “did not happen enough, neither did it happen quickly enough”.
Cooper said Grand Bahamians will notice that “things will ramp up” in the next few weeks as some plans come into fruition.
“We know that many of your homes are still in disrepair, and we know many of you still do not have basic government services in your communities. We know that many children in East Grand Bahama have no schools nearby. We know that the airport is still in an unacceptable state and we will fix it. And we know that though hope is in endless supply, patience is not.
“And we owe it to you the people of Grand Bahama to ensure that you can see touch and feel our commitment, not just in words, but in action.”
Cooper added: “We understand the assignment, and we assure you of our commitment to rebuild, to restore, and to revolutionize the island of Grand Bahama just as we say we would do. We have not forgotten you, and you are not alone.”
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