THE National Emergency Management Agency sought yesterday to set a clear timeline of its involvement in relief efforts after a tornado touched down in parts of New Providence on Wednesday.

NEMA said that at no time did it, or any of its emergency support functions, receive reports of residents in the Bamboo Town area being affected by the tornadic activity.

The statement was released following House Speaker Patricia Deveaux’s open rebuke of NEMA and its director Captain Stephen Russell who, she said, were not on the ground in her constituency despite there being a multi-agency response.

Speaker Deveaux is the MP for Bamboo town.

Her anger over the matter was expressed in yesterday’s House sitting where she told Captain Russell to get a “9 to 5 job” suggesting he did not share the government’s vision for advancing the country.

“The National Emergency Management Agency wishes to advise the general public of the timeline of events in wake of the tornadic activity that occurred in the Cowpen Road, Baillou Hill Road, and subsequently, Bamboo Town areas,” the statement read yesterday.

“NEMA director, Captain Stephen Russell, received notification of tornadic activity in the Cowpen and Baillou Hill Road areas around 2.15pm Wednesday (June 8) afternoon while conducting a briefing for Parliamentarians with regards to the National Emergency Management Agency’s Plan of Action for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

“Captain Russell immediately consulted with Mr Jeffrey Simmons, acting director of The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, who presented at the briefing, to confirm the reports of tornadic activity in the aforementioned areas, which Mr Simmons confirmed.

“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.

“This included a call to the NEMA Warehouse Team who were instructed to mobilise 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.”

While this was occurring, NEMA said Captain Russell, accompanied by Ms Bahiyyah Hepburn, Ministry of Works, a NEMA partner responsible for Emergency Support Function #3, immediately left to personally visit the site and conduct an initial damage assessment of the area.

The assessment was completed, photographs taken and posted in the NEMA Chat Group for further action.

“Captain Russell remained in office until 6.30pm, apprising Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response, Myles LaRoda, of the actions that had been undertaken to bring immediate relief to the affected homes 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.

“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 mobilised the NEMA assets, instructing the Warehouse Team to once again mobilise 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, 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 that as always the first order of business in any disaster and/or emergency event is 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, NEMA said.

Additionally, 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, the statement said.