By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

Rebuilding in East Grand Bahama will require “pre-approval” of building plans by the Ministry of Works, according to deputy prime minister Peter Turnquest, stressing that the government has an obligation to ensure the building of “resilient homes”.

The MP for East Grand Bahama told residents at a town meeting on Monday that building codes may need to change in some areas because of habitual flooding. “There is no point in building your home again flat on the ground when you know time after time it floods, he said.

“So, for those homes in particular that have been levelled, they require MOW to approve the plans and to ensure plans include resilient designs,” he said.

He noted the ministry has proposed several designs for homes for two to three bedrooms that they are willing to share with residents.

“They try to make them as inexpensive as possible; they recognise that most people having lost everything do not have a lot of money to spend so they try to make it economical as possible, but still comfortable, safe and secure,” Mr Turnquest said.

“So, you should be hearing more about that in short order in terms of any changes in building codes, building zones, and how the structures ought to be elevated or structured to minimise future damage.”

Most structures in East End were destroyed during the storm. Some structures were swept off their foundation by the surge.

The deputy prime minister said that government has an obligation to ensuring that any rebuilding is done safely and according to building code.

“A lot of failures in the buildings we have seen has been as a result of structures not being built to code. Some of that was old construction and some is new, but we have an obligation to each other and to our families to ensure that any structure is done in a resilient manner and according to building code. It is important that whatever works is being done it is pre-approved by MOW.”

At the same time, Clint Bain, of the Ministry of Works, has warned residents about the proposals being put forth for rebuilding by many international NGOs on the island.

“We want you all to err on the side of caution. We have met with many of them and there are many proposals being put forth for rebuilding,” he said.

He told residents to keep in mind that we live in a hurricane belt, and that whatever proposal is being offered to them must be able to withstand elements faced us every year, in terms of wind and water.

“We have done an excellent job in this country over many years of designing for wind resistance, however, in recent years we have seen that there is this additional component that has reared its ugly head, which is water,” Mr Bain stated.

He explained that water forces and water weight are considerably more than wind.

Mr Bain said that there two agencies that have tried and tested methods for testing and evaluation of new products – the Miami Dade County Product Approval Department and International Code Council Product Approval.

“Our building code (in The Bahamas) has been pretty much a word for word taken from the South Florida Building Code, and that is reason for using their testing procedures; they are looking at weathering, impacts, missile tests, and we want products that would have gone through the testing for who reside in the hurricane belt,” he said.

Mr Bain continued: “There are a lot of stuff being sold around here, right now, so be very careful and come to the MOW, or go to a registered structural engineer and ask their opinion.”

The MOW official stated that the term “modular construction” is being talked about lot, and residents should also be careful about such construction.

“Another term that is thrown around a lot is modular construction; I will say modular construction that is effective in this region has to involve some composition of reinforced concrete. When we have these look-like Lego building blocks, they are just that, and they do not work in this environment.”

On the point of temporary housing for East End residents, Mr Turnquest noted that the dome-styled houses are expected to arrive in another three to four weeks.

The structures, he noted, are suitable for up to two years and are supposed to be able to withstand hurricane forces.

“People can transition out of tents to more comfortable sturdier structures while they work on completing their forever home,” he explained.

Another area of concern, Mr Turnquest addressed was debris removal.

The MP indicated that clean-up contracts have been signed to get the debris moved.