Always afyer the fact added to which how can the country possibly fund raising/improving sea walls for all the islands let alone Nassau and Grand Bahama ?

Speaking of defenseless. Can we have completely new leadership for our defense force? The commodore needs to be relieved of duty. We spent a quarter of a billion dollars on boats, two of which have already been run arground. The British navy made their way to abaco before the defense force did. How is this possible? Well they tracked the storm and had a ship on its way from Jamaica to enter abaco as soon as possible. We should have done that.

Instead we were late as usual leading to unnessary looting and lawlessness. Then the defense force brags that on Friday sept 6, 5days after the storm they had 250 members in abaco and Grand Bahama combined. This out of a force of 1600 members. No planning, terrible logistics amounts to failed leadership. We can not be business as usual in these times. We deserve better. The commodore and defense force leadership has to go.

Agreed I noticed this too. They left port before the storm and had to go back to Nassau to get supplies. A forward thinking commander would have had those ships loaded with basic supplies and extra troops before they left port to avoid the storm then drop them straight to Abaco after the storm.

> Dr Minnis said the country is facing a climate emergency and in order to combat it, there must be comprehensive and dramatic changes in hurricane preparedness and disaster relief management.

Long before Hurricane Dorian came along, Minnis was well aware that one of the greatest risks our country faces is a direct hit from a category 5+ hurricane to any of our more heavily populated islands. Most Bahamians remember Minnis, shortly after becoming PM, addressing a full assembly of the United Nations in NY on the very grave risks that climate change poses for the Bahamas. Yet he now deceitfully maintains that such an horrific event could not possibly have been predicted by his government. This deceitful pretense is nothing but a very lame excuse for the Minnis-led FNM government's shockingly unsatisfactory degree of preparedness for just about any major hurricane.

> The main body of the ministry will function as an authority, similar to the Public Hospitals Authority, Dr Minnis said.

> The new ministry will operate from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Minnis clearly wants to be in full control of the goodies to be dished out from the new restoration and re-building cookie jar. There's plenty of room for political abuses here that usually take the form of heavily padded and highly wasteful government contracts. Abuses of the benefits associated with the exigency orders by the party faithful and cronies of the political elite can also be expected.

'We Were Defenceless'

That's a statement that is 100% accurate, what is needed is a new political mindset, the days of this 3rd world mentality are done, where are the forward thinking avant garde Bahamians, they exist, the time is NOW for them to show their presents

Forward thinkers? They can't penetrate the party system. Hence they will never be elected. Hence we end up with Moultrie offering China the Southern Bahamas.

While the planning and preparation are being activated, review a streamlined approach to reduce/eliminate the red tape our ministries enjoy extending to simple procedures. That would certainly provide a refreshing change to getting things done. Wonder how long all this will take?

What defense can you mount against a storm that probably couldn't be measured?

Lots. Do not build in flood prone areas or right on the shoreline. Stricter building codes that new structures must be a certain elevation above sea level. Build shelters that can withstand 200+ mph winds. Will be expensive so let shelters be dual purpose e.g. the new schools should be built to this standard so will not have to rebuild after these storms and they could double as shelters that will not fail. Plan properly, pre position assets before storm etc. The list is endless of how we can defend against these storms.

... well the first and obvious answer is to evacuate out of the direct path of the storm. Lives would be saved even though property would still be damaged!

Absolutely, I hope people heed the warnings to evacuate next time. If we do not learn from Dorian we never will.

Be hard pressed if there be left just a lone die-hard comrade remaining a loyal red shirt living on any the Islands and cays the Abaco's - who with **clear conscious** - are even remotely willing to believe **anything being promised by colony of out islands elected government,** yes, no ....In name Joseph, the father, Jesus, what manner **distrust** have the elected 35 red MP's, brought upon themselves ,,,. Wait until news reaches them that as we speak, their elected government is preparing legislation to order the immediate forced mass evacuation all residents living across entire Abaco's ... Can't just make such manner things up cause mischief ...

A step in the right direction Dr. Minnis. Good that you are getting assistance from FEMA and others with the restructuring.

Ma Comrade DonAnthony , you know I value your words wisdom but not on the pre Hurricane Dorian evacuation of all Abacoians, yes, no ... How can you point government's dismal handling of the voluntary evacuations of just small number Abaco's population as being even remotely successful, yes, no ... the road hell for the relocated Abacoians may have been paved with the best intentions but it has turned into anything remotely acceptable.... Abaco, may just be the reds ground zero for no bouncing back by the mandated runging' bell 2022 general election... can anyone even begin imagine the utter chaos that would have resulted had the hurricane's eye sat over Nassau for hours - where the odds point to a much greater count Abaco's hurricane dead ....

This country was NOT defenseless against hurricanes, just unprepared! It takes all the brainpower of politicians to figure out how to get re-elected, doesn't leave much intellect for anything else of real value!!

Correct! Some houses DID survive with minimal damage and a lot of land did NOT flood. We know that good construction on higher ground played a major roll on houses that remained standing (though not completely because luck also plays a roll in respect to being hit by flying debris and direct tornado strike).

Instead of trying to reassemble things from damage, what about not continuing to cause the climate change that drives these monster storms to become bigger and more impactful?

Can we still continue to move forward with LNG and brand new refineries and more cruise ship terminals when its clear this will all contribute to more climate change?

For 50 Years the Civil service has taken people who can think to a degree,
and trained them not to.
Most civil servants fear their immediate supervisor 10 times more than the P.M. or any minister.
Most are place keepers, devoid of any drive to fix malfunction and disfunction in their ministries/departments etc.
When things get serious, they get paralyzed.
I've seen them catatonic in Frances, Jean, Wilma, Matthew and now Dorian.
I have also seen a spark or two, so it is not a 100% write off.
but damn close.

Well what the hell, throw another ministry at it, that always works right?

The only other option is a Task Force.
Task Forces always work.

Blah, blah, blah, blah meanwhile BPL & BTC, still doesn't work, we remain inundated with non-tax paying Haitians and their massive tax burden, the country has an excess of foreign blue-collar workers repatriating hard currency by the $M100's damaging the local economy and destroying the commercial banking sector, illegals are working while Bahamians stand in soup kitchen lines begging for handouts and blah, blah, blah, blah!

The politicians that "lead" the country into all these problems that **"the people paid for"** should be held accountable!