An archipelagic nation with a total area of 13,878 km2, the Bahamas has a population of about 390,000, resulting in a population density of 25 people per square kilometer. With scenic beaches and crystal-clear waters, the Bahamas is an ideal tourist destination with about 60% of the GDP provided by the tourism industry, making the country vulnerable to external economic and climatic shocks.
On September 1st 2019, Hurricane Dorian reached Category 5 intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, making landfall in Elbow Cay, followed by another landfall on Grand Bahama several hours later. The effects of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas were among the worst experienced for any natural disaster in the country creating generational devastation. After finally pulling away from Grand Bahama island on September 3rd, 2019, damage has been estimated up to US$7 billion, with at least 70 deaths in the country and another 282 people left missing after the hurricane (International Medical Corps, 2019).
In immediate response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) allocated almost US$ 1 million for the Government of the Bahamas. Specifically, the CDB arranged a $200,000 Emergency Relief Grant to the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency for humanitarian assistance, as well as allocating a $750,000 Immediate Response Loan to assist with the cleanup and short-term recovery. Both instruments from the Caribbean Development Bank are automatic offers to all borrowing member countries.
Among the relief measures offered, the CDB President pledged the Bank’s assistance with the restoration of essential services on the affected islands, including water and sanitation, and through the re-purposing of available balances from other loans for priority recovery projects in the power and education sectors. Additionally, the Bank also scaled up assistance to provide mental health and psychological support in the aftermath of disasters, which is a project that CDB started jointly with the Pan American Health Organization prior to the hurricane season. As the effects of disaster are not only physical, both avenues of disaster recovery resilience are especially important in getting the Bahamas not only physically back up and running but mentally up and running.
Complementing the relief efforts of the CDB, the Bahamas also received assistance from the World Bank, World Food Program, American Red Cross, UK Royal Navy and USAID among others, in the form of food, supplies, medical assistance and evacuation transportation.
