The Government of Dominica has set in place a course of action to assist the Government and people of The Bahamas which has been battered by Hurricane Dorian since Sunday, September 1, 2019.
The slow-moving hurricane continues to cause widespread damage to The Bahamas with reports of severe flooding, destruction of property and loss of life.
The Government of Dominica stands resolute in its support for the Government and people of The Bahamas and calls on every Dominican to offer prayers and compassion during this time of crisis.
In this regard, Acting Prime Minister Hon. Reginald Austrie has announced the following actions and decisions that have been taken in an effort to immediately assist the Government and people of the Bahamas.
- The Government of Dominica will make an initial contribution is US one hundred thousand dollars (US$100,000.00) to the Government of the Bahamas.
- Commonwealth of the Bahamas Disaster Relief Account has been established at the National Bank of Dominica. The account number is 115004385. Individuals and others desirous of making a monetary contribution to the Bahamas should make deposits to this account. It must be noted that due to logistical challenges, cash donations are most appropriate at this time.
- The deployment of fifteen (15) police officers (headed by an Inspector of Police) from the Common wealth of Dominica Police Force. The officers have been identified and are on standby to be deployed as required. The movement of the officers will be facilitated by the Regional Security System.
- Eight (8) fire officers have been selected to assist in the recovery process.
- A team of six (6) from the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO) with the skills and experience will assist in the immediate restoration of the water supply system.
- The Ministry of Health and Social Services will be providing a total of twenty (20) health professionals to assist in the provision of health services.
- DOMLEC is in contact with the Grand Bahama Power Company and is committed to deploying a team as required.
- DIGICEL is supporting ALIV in the Bahamas with free calls between the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Bahamas. DIGICEL is also ready to supply a technical team to restore the network and to assists in distributing information on recovery efforts.
- The collective membership of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce has committed support when the Rapid Needs Assessment report becomes available.
- The Dominica Red Cross is on standby to deploy a subset of its trained volunteers to assist Government’s interventions when necessary.
- The Government of Dominica commits and offers to assist in the provision of school spaces to be determined by the number of Bahamian students in need of such.
“From our experience with Hurricane Maria in 2017, we know that it will be a long and challenging road to recovery in the Bahamas. We encourage all Dominicans to continue to lift up the Government and people of the Bahamas in their prayers and encourage the donor community to be proactive in responding to their needs.” – Acting Prime Minister Hon. Reginald Austrie.