NEMA says its director undertook immediate action Wednesday following tornadic activity
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday defended its response to Wednesday’s downburst after House of Assembly Speaker Patricia Deveaux launched a scathing rebuke of the agency and its leader.
Deveaux said her constituency, Bamboo Town, was severely affected by the weather system and that NEMA was missing in action.
Her comments came when the House of Assembly resumed for the budget debate.
She said: “…I am saying this because I reached out to Commander Russell — I don’t know if he was home watching the game because I heard they had a game last night — to say that he was not there and that is who we have to reach out to with emergency response and I am terribly, terribly disturbed by that and I say to him, I told him, I did not lie to him I told him I will speak to it from my chair.”
In a statement, NEMA said Russell was told about tornadic activity in the Cowpen and Baillou Hill Road areas around 2.15pm Wednesday while briefing parliamentarians about his agency’s plan for the hurricane season.
NEMA said Russell immediately consulted Acting Director of Meteorology Jeffrey Simmons about the matter.
“The NEMA director immediately contacted the lead officials of several of the agency’s various Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) with regards to undertaking immediate action to assist persons who may have been affected,” NEMA’s statement said.
“This included a call to the NEMA Warehouse Team, who were instructed to mobilize tarpaulin into the areas that were reported to have been impacted, in order to begin distributing tarpaulin as soon as they arrived in the area – based on initial reports received.
“That action was carried out and continued until 5:30pm when the truck returned to NEMA’s Head Office, Gladstone Road.”
Natural disasters do not happen between 9 and 5. Natural disasters happen any time in the dead of the night. And so, I say this to say, these people, if they want desk job from 9-5, give them their desk job — HOUSE SPEAKER PATRICIA DEVEAUX
NEMA said as this happened, Russell left to visit the site and assess the damage.
He remained in office until 6.30pm, updating government officials about what was being done to relieve those affected in the Cowpen/Baillou Hill Road areas.
“At no time during these interventions, did the agency, nor any of its Emergency Support Functions, receive reports of residents in the Bamboo Town area being impacted by the tornadic activity,” NEMA said.
“At about 9pm Wednesday, Captain Russell received communication from yet another partner, advising that there were residents in the Bamboo Town area, including senior citizens who had been impacted by the tornadic activity and needed assistance.
“Captain Russell once again immediately mobilized the NEMA assets, instructing the Warehouse Team to once again mobilize tarpaulin into the newly-reported affected area.
“As that action was being undertaken, the NEMA director was contacted by another NEMA partner, Urban Renewal, regarding its assistance in bringing relief into the impacted area.
“It was agreed that the NEMA Team, which included Captain Russell, Mr Bradley King from the Ministry of Works and the Warehouse Team and Urban Renewal, would all meet at the Prince William School to further coordinate the efforts to ensure that those persons who would have been identified as in need of assistance, received it.
NEMA said it is always the first order of business in any disaster or emergency event to conduct an initial assessment, determine the extent of the damage, and how best to mitigate the impacts of that event.
“This was done as the initial assessments determined there was the need for tarpaulin to secure affected homes of families,” read the statement.
“While onsite, Captain Russell contacted the Department of Social Services, another NEMA partner, with regards to conducting social assessments which could not be undertaken until the morning because of the lateness of the hour, which at that time was 10pm.
“Those social assessments commenced Thursday morning.”
Earlier Thursday in her scathing rebuke, Deveaux said two seniors in their 80s were affected by the downburst.
“Natural disasters do not happen between 9 and 5,” she said.
“Natural disasters happen any time in the dead of the night.
“And so, I say this to say, these people, if they want desk job from 9-5, give them their desk job.”
Myles Laroda, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for NEMA, later said a meeting was scheduled for NEMA and government officials to discuss the issue.
“There will be no stones left unturned with regards to the response,” he said.
He later read NEMA’s statement in Parliament.
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