By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis promised his government will bring change to storm ravaged Abaco and said a plan to rebuild 150 homes on the island is under review.

Speaking at the 17th annual Abaco Business Outlook yesterday, Mr Davis said the previous administration neglected Abaco and Grand Bahama in the two years since Hurricane Dorian ravaged those islands.

He said his government is committed to bringing change and thanked Abaco residents for electing both of the Progressive Liberal Party’s candidates to represent them.

He said the government has extended the Special Economic Recovery Zone Order, which will allow those impacted by Hurricane Dorian to import vehicles duty free, no matter where they currently reside.

He also said: “For Abaco specifically, we must also pursue rebuilding initiatives, with a bias towards action. So, for example, we are currently reviewing a house building proposal to build 150 homes.

“Several construction types are being considered, including modular and prefabricated housing. The prefabricated housing provides for a rapid factory to be built on Abaco, with the equipment brought in and people trained to operate them. This is just one, cost-effective option.”

 Mr Davis said there were other issues which came out of Hurricane Dorian. He said officials were in the process of looking at how the government could shorten the time it takes for formal presumption of death after a natural disaster.

 The issue was brought to the fore in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 as some people who had missing loved ones expressed the need for closure.

 “…There are other issues specifically arising out of Hurricane Dorian. Currently, life insurance terms don’t allow for timely payouts after people have gone missing, even when their absence is so clearly associated with a catastrophic event such as a Category 5 hurricane.

 “We are reviewing this to see what interventions may be required, legislative or otherwise, so that people aren’t forced to wait seven years for a formal presumption of death after a disaster.

 “Apart from the financial burden this imposes, the psychological burden is immense, and closure is not possible. This is a tremendous human cost in health and well-being. We know, because these are the stories which Abaconians have shared with us.

 “This cannot be right, and my government is committed to fixing it. But even as we move forward with recovery efforts, we are very mindful of the need to adapt,” Mr Davis said.

 Mr Davis also spoke about the country’s finances, saying with public debt now at more than $10bn, the government has not yet been able to understand where the funds were applied or how they benefited the Bahamian people.

 The unprecedented situation, Mr Davis said, presents a fiscal position that has placed a great strain on his administration.

 Officials are also grappling with a significant downturn in public revenue, he said.

 “Apart from the strains being faced by the global economy, many of them due to the pandemic, here in The Bahamas our current fiscal position places even greater pressures upon us,” Mr Davis said: “We have unprecedentedly high levels of deficit and debt. Public debt levels have hit over $10 billion, having doubled during the past four and a half years.

 “We have yet to understand how these funds were applied or how they benefited the Bahamian people. Public revenue remains significantly down, because of a combination of uncollected taxes; tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals, businesses and properties; and a sluggish recovery with no articulated plans for growth.”

 He continued: “The news of a further credit-ratings downgrade, that had been suppressed until just after the election, made the situation even more bleak. But as we have promised the Bahamian people during the campaign, my administration runs towards these challenges, not with hand-wringing despair, but with a variety of proposed solutions.”