October 6, 2004

Mr. Speaker:

I wish to report to this Honourable House on the damages inflicted on The Bahamas as a result of the passage of Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne. In the main, my Report will focus rather extensively on Hurricane Frances and I will give an Addendum Report on Hurricane Jeanne at the end of the main Report.

Hurricane Frances, a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale passed through The Bahamas, from Thursday, 2^{nd September through Sunday, 5th September, approximately four weeks ago.}

Because of its size, wind velocity and its coordinates that generally took the storm on a northeasterly track over The Bahamas, Hurricane Frances had an impact on almost every island in The Bahamas. Hurricane Frances was the only hurricane to cover the entire Bahamas since the hurricane of 1866. Only the islands of Inagua, Ragged Island and Long Cay, in the southern Bahamas, were not impacted by the hurricane and sustained little or no damage. With regards to the remainder of The Bahamas the scale of the damage varied in range and intensity and in some instances there was major devastation while in others the damage was not as extensive.

The following is a breakdown of islands in The Bahamas impacted by Hurricane Frances.

Mayaguana

Acklins & Crooked Island

Long Island

Exuma (including Black Point, Farmers Cay and Staniel Cay)

San Salvador

Rum Cay

Cat Island

Eleuthera (including North Eleuthera, Harbour Island, Central Eleuthera, South Eleuthera)

North, Central and South Andros

The Berry Islands

New Providence

Abaco

Grand Bahama

Bimini

Hurricane Frances was slow moving (it took 3 days to pass through The Bahamas) and because the eye passed directly over or close to several islands, in particular, San Salvador, Eleuthera, Abaco and Grand Bahama, the damage was submitted. In Abaco and Grand Bahama, not only was there a storm surge of some 12-15 feet in some places but there was also severe flooding from seawater, which resulted in substantial damage to personal property and public infrastructure. In some parts of these islands as a result of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, communities like East End, West End and Grand Cay were devastated.

This hurricane because of the elements of slow movement and high storm surges created tremendous fear and threatened the lives of people in communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

I wish to begin, therefore, by thanking Almighty God for sparing and safeguarding the lives of the thousands of our citizenry through this difficult time. Officially, there were two deaths that can be directly attributed to Hurricane Frances in The Bahamas. On behalf of the Government of The Bahamas, I offer my deepest sympathy to the families who have lost loved ones as a direct result of Hurricane Frances.

I wish as well by means of this communication to express the deepest sympathy of the Government and peoples of The Bahamas to the Governments and peoples of our sister Caribbean countries namely, Grenada, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cuba and Haiti who have suffered great loss of lives and property as result of the passage of Hurricane Ivan and most recently Hurricane Jeanne. The enormity of the physical damages and the loss of thousands of lives in Haiti, in particular, is a cause of much sadness and concern by our people.

I take this opportunity as well to convey our thanks and appreciation for the expressions of condolences and support which have come from many foreign governments and from friends of The Bahamas, both abroad and locally, in this our moment of tragedy. I wish to assure them of our highest esteem and appreciation for their expressions of support and generosity.

I wish to commend the Bahamian people, throughout the length and breath of The Bahamas, for their calm, restraint and, in some instances, extraordinary acts of heroism displayed during and in the immediate aftermath of the storm. I wish to thank our spiritual leaders and the Bahamian people for the prayers they have offered for the safety and security of our people and our country.

It is now my duty to give to this Parliament a report on Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne setting out the efforts of my Government to address the national situation in the aftermath of this powerful hurricane.

Hurricane Frances formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the West Coast of Africa and officially became a tropical storm on August 25th and a day later, August 26th evolved into a full-blown hurricane. For nearly a week Hurricane Frances, gained in intensity until it reached Category 4 force with maximum sustained winds of around 145 MPH as it travelled through the Atlantic at an average speed of between 13 and 15 miles per hour. By Wednesday, 1st September Hurricane Frances had become a major threat to the Turks and Caicos Islands and, indeed, the entire Bahamas archipelago. At 8am on Thursday, 2nd September the Government of The Bahamas moved the official hurricane alert status from a Hurricane Watch to a Hurricane Warning. At that time, the eye of Hurricane Frances was located near latitude 23.2 degrees north, longitude 73.5 degrees west or about 80 miles southeast of San Salvador in the South/ Central Bahamas.

On this track, the large core of Hurricane Frances moved near or over the Southeastern Bahamas during late Thursday, 2nd of September and over the Central Bahamas during the morning and early afternoon of Friday, 3rd of September. Due to an un-expected slow down in the speed of travel of the hurricane, its damaging effects were felt for a much longer period in the Central Bahamas and Northern Bahamas during Saturday 4th September and Sunday, 5th of September.

Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 80 miles from the centre and tropical force winds extended up to 185 miles from the centre. By Saturday the 4th of September, the storm had moved towards the north side of Abaco and Grand Bahama producing storm surges and flooding of 12-15 feet above normal tide levels accompanied by large battering waves. Storm surge flooding also affected the west side of many other islands of The Bahamas. However, the hurricane, although packing powerful winds, did not produce intense rainfall. By late evening of Sunday, 5th September, the hurricane, except for occasional wind gusts, had passed over The Bahamas.

Immediately following the passage of the hurricane the assessment of the damages began. A physical assessment was conducted in New Providence during the late afternoon hours of Saturday 4th September when a tour was made to inspect damages to public and private infrastructure in the capital city. Immediately following the passage of the hurricane work teams from the relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Works, the Department of Environmental Health Services, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Royal Bahamas Police Force were deployed to clear roadways and other public areas of fallen trees and debris and the utility corporations were immediately engaged in the restoration of electricity, water supply and telephone services on the island of New Providence.

It has to be noted that during the onset of the hurricane most of the designated hurricane shelters in New Providence were opened and manned according to the Disaster Plan developed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Advisories issued by ZNS Radio, the national radio network of The Bahamas, were also helpful in directing persons to available shelters and served as an indispensable tool in the dissemination of emergency information for the general public in both New Providence and the rest of The Bahamas.

It is noteworthy to mention that ZNS Radio and TV provided continuous network coverage for the entire time that Frances battered The Bahamas. Love 97 and other media also provided coverage within the area of their signals.

The two principle hospitals in New Providence continued their operations during the hurricane without any disruption in service.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force were visible in ensuring that the streets of New Providence were safe.

The Nassau International Airport, which was closed during the hurricane, was opened by late Saturday afternoon for international flights and by Sunday morning for domestic flights to destinations in The Bahamas that allowed for airplanes to be landed.

Beginning on Sunday, 5th September, several assessment teams led by the Prime Minister and Ministers began an assessment of damages in the Family Islands. The assessment teams visited Mayaguana, Acklins & Crooked Island, Long Island, San Salvador and Cat Island and major points in Eleuthera. The assessment team, which visited the Southeastern Islands travelled with water and other emergency supplies of food items, which could be transported by aircraft.

On Monday, 6th September, the assessment teams visits continued when the Prime Minister and teams of Ministers travelled to Grand Bahama, Abaco and the Berry Islands. By Friday 10th of September, one week after the passage of the hurricane, assessment teams had visited all of the areas struck by the hurricane, including Rum Cay, Ragged Island and Exuma. Members of Parliament, including members of the Opposition traveled on all of the assessment visits and were fully integrated into each of the visits, as were several leaders of churches. Even though, in some instances, the actual damage from the hurricane was slight, it was important from a psychological standpoint, for these teams to visit and to make contact with the local population as this provided a measure of reassurance and comfort.

In all of the assessment visits the groups included representatives of all of the major religious denominations who also would be involved in providing relief to various communities and in the case of Grand Bahama the opportunity was also taken to include a group of Senators and Parliamentarians for a first hand look.

The assessment teams also included technical officers from the Ministry of Works, Utility Corporations, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Social Services, who were able to provide an initial assessment of damage.

Members of the press accompanied the teams on all visits

Global figures for the entire Bahamas are that 4,160 houses suffered minor damages but are usable. Another 1,851 suffered major damages (in excess of $10,000 damages per house) and are unusable and 671 houses (in value of over $110,000 per house) were destroyed. All in all data indicated some 6,682 houses throughout The Bahamas suffered damages from the hurricane.

The severity of the winds and sea surges resulted in the worst damages being done to the housing sector, where the damage assessment exceeds $99m.

The preliminary survey of damages to housing has been completed and details have come in for all of the islands over which Hurricane Frances passed. It is clear that in addition to damages to structures, many homeowners also suffered loss of furniture and appliances, which is now in the process of being verified by subsequent house-to-house inspection. There will be a continuous and ongoing assessment of damages and as the reports become available assistance will be made on the basis of needs and qualification.

It is extremely difficult at this juncture to place an exact dollar value to the total amount of damages, both public and private, which was incurred as a result of the passage of Hurricane Frances. For the moment, however, estimates range from $125m to $ 200m.

As of Friday, 17th September, the official global estimates for housing alone, as issued by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Cabinet Office, was placed at $99.5m. It is to be noted that this figure did not include New Providence, which is being assessed separately.

Estimated damages by islands completed by the Ministry of Works and Utilities listed in order of the magnitude of the damages is as follows:

Grand Bahama

Transportation/infrastructure $3,500,000

Schools $7,000,000

Clinics (public facilities) $1,000,000

Government buildings/agencies $4,000,000

Private houses $58,000,000

Grand Bahama Airport (privately owned) $12,000,000

Total $85,500,000

New Providence

Transportation/infrastructure $ 3,000,000

Schools $10,000,000

Clinics (public facilities) $1,000,000 Government buildings/agencies $1,000,000

Private houses $4,000,000

Total $19,000,000

San Salvador

Transportation/infrastructure $2,500,000

Schools $3,000,000

Clinics $ 100,000

Private houses $3,000,000

Total $8,600,000

Eleuthera

Transportation/infrastructure $2,000,000

Schools $2,000,000

Clinics (public facilities) $2,000,000

Government buildings/agencies $1,000,000

Private houses $ 500,000

Total $7,500,000

Abaco

Transportation/infrastructure $2,000,000

Schools $3,500,000

Clinics (public facilities) $1,000,000

Government buildings/

Agencies $ 500,000

Private houses $1,500,000

Total $8,500,000

Cat Island

Transportation/infrastructure $1,500,000

Schools $ 500,000

Clinics $ 100,000

Private houses $ 500,000

Total $2,600,000

The Berry Islands

Transportation/infrastructure $350,000

Schools $100,000

Clinics $150,000

Government Buildings $400,000

Private houses $600,000

Total $1,600,000

Bimini

Schools $1,200,000

Clinics $ 100,000

Total $1,300,000

Long Island

Transportation/infrastructure $750,000

Private houses $500,000

Total $1,250,000

Andros

Transportation/infrastructure $250,000

Schools $ 50,000

Government Buildings $350,000

Private houses $500,000

Total $1,150,000

Acklins

Transportation/infrastructure $750,000

Private houses $100,000

Total $850,000

Rum Cay

Transportation/infrastructure $100,000

Schools $100,000

Private houses $ 25,000

Total $225,000

Mayaguana

Transportation/infrastructure $500,000

Private houses $100,000

Total $600,000

Exuma

Government Buildings $50,000

Total country estimate in damages $139 million.

More detailed assessments of damage are on going and the full extent of damage to private homes and public infrastructure may well be in the region of $200m. In addition to this, the Agricultural Sector has sustained an estimated $45m in losses.

The damages included downed power lines, downed poles and structural damage to a few power station sites in the Family Islands. In New Providence, during the Hurricane and after, there was sufficient generated power available to meet the demand. However, as a result of the high winds, the greatest damage occurred to the transmission and distribution lines.

The impact of the damage was significantly minimized by the

business decision taken by BEC’s Management in de-energising (turning off) the electrical system in the majority of the Family Islands and selected areas of New Providence. Many more lines would have sustained damages had they remained energized, thereby requiring more materials and repair teams and a longer restoration process.

As a consequence of this decision the Bahamas Electricity

Corporation was able to:

§ Minimize damage and risk loss

§ Significantly reduce restoration time

§ Significantly reduce the resources that would have been necessary for restoration had the damages been more extensive.

The slow moving Hurricane caused damage over a longer sustained period and delayed the start time for BEC’s restoration; however, the preventative steps taken improved the restoration time period.

The approach to the restoration efforts were organized and systematic comprising assessment, restoration of general areas first for maximum utilization of electricity, where possible, and then smaller areas island wide, followed by individual services connections.

Emphasis was placed on safety first - before, during and after the hurricane in the order of people (employees and customers), plant and equipment.

Hurricane Frances affected all of BEC’s areas of supply and therefore New Providence (headquarters) was not in a position to send immediate assistance to some of the islands as New Providence was initially under hurricane watch and then itself hit by Hurricane Frances.

The BEC team was dedicated and committed to the task at hand, with many employees going above and beyond the call of duty.

In Grand Bahama, however, where there is a private electrical supply, there was considerable delay in restoring power due to the fact that many of the utility poles snapped during the hurricane and it was not until some time after the hurricane had passed that a fresh supply of poles could be shipped in. This factor served to inhibit the speed with which restoration could take place on that island.

Some 1300 poles were downed (damaged/blown over) and needed to be replaced/changed. There appears to be a number of factors that contributed to the amount of poles that were down - some were rotten, some were of a lower class than normally used by BEC, some appeared to have snapped due to wind sheer, and some fell due to trees falling on overhead lines. There were instances where a number of poles, side by side, along the same line, all fell over in a concert. Pole attachments (BTC and Cable Bahamas) may have also been a factor in a few instances.

There were many cases of main overhead lines and service

lines down. While many of the downed power lines were associated with downed poles, there were also many downed lines that were not. These ranged from lines that were broken to lines that were “loose” from the pole - due to trees, wind loading, broken tie wires, etc.

It was also noted (via discussion as well as via site visits)

that a major contributing factor to the initial delay in restoring supplies to customers was the fact that the “main backbone” of the Transmission & Distribution system had substantial damage - downed poles and broken lines. As a result, a substantial amount of work had to be carried out in order to be able to provide power to the main/primary substations prior to being able to energize the distribution circuits that supplied many of the customers.

Approximately 150 overhead line staff are said to be involved in the restoration efforts. In addition to the staff from Grand Bahama Power Company, teams from the following companies assisted/are assisting with the restoration efforts:

Sumter Utilities of South Carolina

Shaw Energy Delivery Services

Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (the team returned to Jamaica after Jamaica was hit by Hurricane Ivan)

Belize Electricity

British Virgin Islands

Turks Island

Bahamas Electricity Corporation

As of September 20, 2004, 535 poles had been set, 1900 downed wires repaired and 110 transformers replaced.

As of September 21, 2004 full electrical service to approximately some 50 percent of the customers had been restored. With the current resources, the Grand Bahama Power Company estimated that within another week restoration would be at 85 percent and at 95 percent the following week. This was before the passage of Hurricane Jeanne.

By the end of the week of the 24th September, and before the passage of Hurricane Jeanne, about sixty percent (60%) of the electricity supply to Freeport had been restored but East and West Grand Bahama was at that time still without electricity supply.

With respect to telecommunications, while Hurricane Frances negatively impacted telecommunications in The Bahamas, except for Grand Bahama, the impact cannot be considered catastrophic. Lessons learnt from Hurricanes Floyd and Michelle allowed The Bahamas Telecommunication Corporation (BTC) to harden its Network and in locations like Eight Mile Rock, Bimini, and Arthur’s Town, staff turned down equipment to preserve it. Teams are still estimating the cost of damages; therefore, no cost is available as of the date of this report. However, BTC has reported that all of the islands with the exception of San Salvador had telecommunications connectivity domestically and internationally within twenty-four hours of the passage of Hurricane Frances relative to the particular island.

The islands of Inagua, Long Island, Crooked Island, Mayguana, Abaco, Andros, and Moore’s Island never lost connectivity to the National Network. There was no lost of towers as in the case of Floyd and Michelle because BTC had replaced more than twenty-eight (28) towers in its Network at a cost of $15.04 million.

The Bahamas Telecommunication Company also reported that several major cables were severed or damaged as a result of Hurricane Frances.

The ARCOS cable was cut between New Providence and Florida, but because ARCOS is a self-healing ring the disruption did not affect DSL, the Internet service, or BTC’s international services on ARCOS. Connectivity was maintained throughout hurricane Frances to Cat Island and Crooked Island via ARCOS. The Bahamas’ International traffic via ARCOS was automatically routed back to Florida via the Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, Latin & Central America.

The Bahamas II Submarine cable between New Providence, Grand Bahama, and Florida that is responsible for Grand Bahama’s connectivity to New Providence and The Bahamas’ connectivity to the international community was depowered after the roof at the Eight Mile Rock Station was compromised, but was successfully returned to service within 24 hours after the passage of Frances when the roof at Eight Mile Rock Station was temporary secured.

Technicians at BTC, Toll Maintenance Center on Poinciana Drive began building restoration facilities on ARCOS in cooperation with AT&T at 12:30 a.m. on September 2, 2004, to facilitate restoration of International traffic in the event The Bahamas cable failed.

Island by Island reports indicated that despite damages to physical structures such as roofs being compromised, damages to antennas and dishes and downed power lines, BTC was able for, the most part, to restore connectivity to most of its network within a period of 48 hours after the storm passage. In Eleuthera, however, telephones services were eighty percent re-established by September 15th, 2004, in Lower Bogue, Palmetto Point, Rock Sound, Savannah Sound, Spanish Wells, Tarpum Bay; and fifty percent re-established in Current, Governors Harbour, Green Castle, Harbour Island and Hatchet Bay.

The staff of BTC should be commended for a job well done during the Hurricane and during restoration.

There are many untold stories like the staff in Cat Island who de-powered cell-sites to preserve the equipment, the staff in Long Island who refused to stop work until all the network was operational within twenty-four hours after the passage of the storm; the staff in Bimini who de-powered the equipment and stayed in the building sweeping the water out with the roof off to save the equipment; and, the heroics of the staff in Eight Mile Rock who de-powered the equipment when the roof of the building was compromised.

It should be noted that because of the work done after hurricane Floyd in 1999, BTC’s network has been hardened. This Network was further enhanced with BDSN (Bahamas Domestic Fiber Optic Submarine Cable Network). When one considers that in 1999 during hurricane Floyd that there were only 111,000 telephone subscribers and 10,000 cellular customers, but during Hurricane Frances there are 132,000 telephones subscribers with approximately 141,000 cellular on 64 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) cell-sites and 40 Global System for Mobile Telecom (GSM) sites, the restorative work of BTC’s staff and the robustness with which the Network was engineered and installed is commendable.

Following the challenges of communications, which arose during after the passage of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, we must review our ability to effectively maintain communications with key agencies in the various islands during emergency situations.

C. Water

The majority of residents throughout The Bahamas experienced loss of supply only during the period when power was unavailable, which for the most part, was less than one week. During this period, residents received limited supplies of water as most facilities had some form of permanent stand-by power, or mobile units. Only significant impacts are mentioned below and it must be stated that, aside from existing disinfection facilities, all islands were and are provided with adequate chlorine powder and tablets to ensure that supplies are disinfected.

The major concerns regarding a continuous flow of adequate drinking water was in New Providence. Although New Providence did not receive extensive damage from the hurricane, its water supply has been the most seriously affected. This is in part due to the fact that the New Providence wellfields were inoperable as was the Reverse Osmosis plant, which temporarily lost power. Power to the wellfields was fully accomplished on 10th September and the supply from this source has been re-established.

There were also problems relating to the barging of water from Andros. They were of a technical nature which prevented both of the Corporation’s tankers from being able to off-load at Arawak Cay. These problems were resolved by Saturday, 4th September.

The primary issue however was that 50% of the wellfields in North Andros was flooded and could not be placed in operation until the electricians deemed it safe to do so. Once floodwaters receded by Monday, 6th September 2004, the flooded area was recommissioned and it was discovered that the flooding was due to seawater inundation. A full assessment was carried out on Wednesday, 8th September 2004 and confirmed seawater contamination in all of the trenches in the new wellfield.

Corrective action was immediately implemented and an attempt to ‘pump out’ the seawater resulted in partial re-commissioning by Saturday, 11th September 2004. However, due to the large demand for water in New Providence, abstraction has been given priority and further ‘pump-out’ discontinued. A reassessment was carried out on Wednesday, 15th and Thursday, 16th September 2004 and while there had been further improvement, the wellfields are now only at 70% production but by Saturday October 2nd the facility was at full production. The supply of water to residents of New Providence has now been fully restored.

The Water and Sewerage Corporation has started to abstract from the saline portions of Andros to provide a domestic supply but it will be some time before the quality and quantity of production is restored and even longer to re-build the storage levels on the island.

The Water and Sewerage Corporation is actively pursuing a temporary 0.5million gallon per day (Migd) Reverse Osmosis plant to be installed at Arawak Cay to assist with the shortfall and is also reviewing proposals inclusive of one for the construction of a 5Migd Hills Reverse Osmosis plant at Blue Hills.

Mr. Speaker:

It is important for me to make some specific references to the situation regarding water supply in Grand Bahama. Due to the severe and prolonged power outage the general water supply in all of Grand Bahama was reduced to a level of great scarcity. Tankers full of water had to be sent to Freeport in order to meet the basic requirements of the population and drinking water was provided by means of containers and bottles. Before the onset of Hurricane Jeanne, expectations were that with the gradual restoration of power to that island it could have been expected that the water supply would return to normalcy by the end of September. Hurricane Jeanne, has of course, altered these projections.

From a health perspective, I would also caution that in hurricane affected areas bottled water should be used as far as possible for drinking purposes except in areas where reverse osmosis water is available as there may have been contamination of the ground water supply. This recommendation is to minimize the risk of drinking water with high salinity as well as with contamination from bacteria and parasites. If ground water is used for drinking then by all means it should be boiled.

Mr. Speaker:

I now turn to the effects of Hurricane Frances on the civil infrastructure of the country. Ministry of Works damage assessment indicates that the total of civil work damages is estimated to be over $12m. This estimated amount will increase significantly following the assessment of damage resulting from Hurricane Jeanne. In New Providence damage was sustained to the road on West Bay Street where there was inadequate protection against sea surges. The estimated cost of the damage and the construction of seawalls similar to those at another location on West Bay Street and which were not breached amounts to $2m. At the same time, an additional $2m would be required to construct seawalls at Yamacraw. The estimated cost of both projects will therefore be around $4,000,000.

In Eleuthera there were damages to three docks - Lower Bogue, South Palmetto Point and James Cistern. These damages comprised of decks being blown away as well as the loss or damage to Abutments. There were major damages to the roads at James Cistern. This is a coastal road and the estimated repair which would include seawalls and edge protection are estimated at around $1,000,000. The road at Governor’s Harbour has suffered some damages and here again requires seawalls and edge protection estimated to cost around $250,0000. Contractors have been recommended by the Ministry of Works for all of these civil engineering works. A total of $1,292,500 will be required to repair transportation infrastructure damages in Eleuthera.

The Glass Window Bridge which has suffered damages in the last three major hurricanes, has again been affected, due largely to the ocean surge which has always posed a problem for this bridge. Engineers have now declared the bridge safe for travel and it is now open for use as it is a vital link for the people of that island. However, the Government of the Bahamas has previously acknowledged that the existing location of the bridge continues to pose danger to the traveling public, especially in times of bad weather, and because of this will accelerate its plans to build a new causeway at that location on the shallow and more secure edges of the land.

The Island of Abaco also suffered major damages to its transportation infrastructure as a result of the passage of Hurricane Frances. Damage, comprising blown away decks, occurred to docks in Coopers Town, Crown Haven, Mt. Hope, Union Jack, Crossing Beach, Green Turtle Cay and Fire Creek Marina. The most extensive damage in Abaco was to the road in Elbow Cay where the sand dune eroded. It is estimated that $700,000 will be required to repair this road. Other options such as the diversion of the road will also be examined. A drainage system will also need to be designed for the Marsh Harbour Airport terminal, which flooded during the hurricane. A total of $1,140,000 is estimated for the repairs to the transportation infrastructure damages in Abaco.

Other Islands most notably Cat Island, Long Island and Mayaguana, also suffered varying degrees of damages to roads and docks and which is accounted for in the $12m figure mentioned at the start of this section on civil infrastructure damages. In Mayaguana for example $250,000 will be required to repair the dock at Betsy Bay as well as 250 ft of road leading up to the dock. The Ministry of Works has identified contractors for the immediate repair of most of these damages and pending contractual approvals work will begin to remedy the damages in the interest of public safety.

Mr. Speaker:

With respect to civil aviation related issues I wish to report that the most severe damages were to the Freeport International Airport in Grand Bahama.

The domestic arrivals and departure hall of the Freeport International Airport was completely inundated with water as a result of the sea surge and considerable damage was done to the structure. Even the newly commissioned International Departure Terminal was flooded. Considerable damage was also done to the Control Tower and the airport was closed for international flights for a period of five days due to lack of electricity. The Freeport International Airport is the transportation lifelines into the Grand Bahama and its full restoration, estimated to be around $12m, is vital to the well being of the people of Grand Bahama. This is a matter of concern to the Grand Bahama Port Authority and I am confident that this facility will be made fully operational in the shortest of time.

We are fortunate that there were no serious damages to the Nassau International Airport and this facility, as previously reported, was able to become operational by Sunday afternoon, the 5th September.

In the Family Islands, the worse damage occurred at the Marsh Harbour Airport. The terminal building and apron were flooded. Clean up efforts begun as soon as the flood had abated. In San Salvador, the modular building housing the Terminal was extensively damaged and the repairs to this facility will be put out to tender.

Most of the airports suffered perimeter fence damages.

I am pleased to report, however, that all of the Family Islands airports are operational at this time.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that of the one hundred and fifty eight (158) schools and programmes, offering tuition at the pre-school, primary and secondary levels, all have been opened full-time with the exception of the following:

Abaco Abaco Central High School

Examinaton Grades 9 & 12 (full-time)

Grades 7,8,10 & 11 (half days)

Great Guana Cay Primary School

Teacher unavailable, due to surgery, for (9) nine students population.

Berry Islands R.N. Gomez All-Age School

Pre-school and Grades 1-6 (9:00 am - 12 noon)

Grades 7-12 (12 noon - 3:30 p.m.)

Grand Bahama West End Primary

Grades 2-6 relocated to Discovery Primary School, Freeport

Grade 1, Preschool and Intervention Class relocated to Restoration Baptist Church, West End effective 6th October 2004

St. George’s High School

Grades 9 & 12 (full-time)

Grades 7, 8, 10 & 11 (half days)

Martin Town Primary School

Alternative accommodations being sought

All schools in New Providence, with the exception of the Stapledon School re-opened on the 13th September. The Stapledon School opened on the 15th September. All schools in New Providence sustained at least minor damages including loss of shingles. The Government High School’s Food Lab, the A.F. Adderley Junior High School, the Uriah McPhee, Carmichael, Garvin Tynes and Mable Walker Primary School also experienced flooding and water damages. Major roof repairs will be necessary at C.W. Sawyer Primary School and R.M. Bailey Senior High. At the C.I. Gibson High School there was major damage to the main office and library block. Nine classrooms at this school are unusable at this time. School Windows must be replaced at Claridge Primary and the Centre For The Deaf. The Ministry of Works is currently obtaining estimates of costs and scopes of works for the immediate repairs of these schools.

In Grand Bahama, despite the extensive damages sustained and the traumatic conditions, which existed in the wake of Hurricane Frances, schools in Freeport and East Grand Bahama re-opened on Thursday, 16th September. Lewis Yard Primary, Bartlett Hill Primary, and Eight Mile Rock Schools re-opened on Monday, 20th September, 2004. The Martin Town School remains closed. Arrangements are being made to house some of the students at the Eight Mile Rock gymnasium and others at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church Hall and at a private business facility. Classes at Martin Town are expected to resume in full on Tuesday, 12th October. The school in West End was severely damaged and alternative arrangements have had to be made for the accommodation of students from West End as I have previously outlined.

In the Family Islands, schools in Andros, Bimini, Cat Island, Ragged Island, Exuma, Acklins, Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island and Long Island suffered only minimal damages amounting to loss of shingles and some flooding in certain instances.

In Abaco, which experienced the full brunt of Hurricane Frances, six of the fourteen schools in this district sustained minor damages, mostly comprising the loss of shingles. However the Sherlin Bootle High School in Cooper’s Town sustained major damages including the loss of the Home Economics building which must be replaced. Windows, ceilings and fencing were also lost. The Coopers Town Primary School also sustained major roof and structural damages with total loss of the computer and science block and loss of instructional materials and equipment.

Some damages were reported at the Central Abaco High School, and repair work, especially to the electrical system was to have begun but naturally, would have been interrupted by the passage of Hurricane Jeanne. Minor damages were reported to the Fox Town Primary School and the Treasure Cay Primary School. Despite the damages, all schools with the exception of both high schools were expected to reopen on the 20th September 2004.

Like Abaco, San Salvador experienced the severity of Hurricane Frances and the roof of the school at United Estates was destroyed and much of the building will have to be replaced. In spite of the loss of all instructional materials, equipment and furniture at this school, classes have resumed under temporary makeshift arrangements. I able to report at this time that the roof has been replaced as a result of the efforts of the workforce presently in San Salvador and the school has reopened. Classes have also resumed in all of the other schools on the Island of San Salvador.

In the Berry Islands, the R.N. Gomez All Age School sustained major roof damage to both buildings. This facility however was opened on the 15th September by introducing flexible timetabling. This school was further damaged as a result of the passage of Hurricane Jeanne instructions to commence repairs have been issued to the Ministry of Works.

In Eleuthera all 17 schools sustained damages of varying intensity. The Preston Albury High School in Rock Sound sustained severe damage to the roof, ceilings and fencing; and water leaks and flooding resulted in major loss of instructional materials.

The Green Castle Primary School sustained severe roof and electrical wiring damages. The Gregory Town Primary sustained extensive structural and roof damage as well as damage to the toilet block and flooding.

The James Cistern Primary sustained severe roof damage, blown out windows and doors, electrical and water damages.

Both the Rock Sound and Tarpum Bay Primary Schools sustained roof damages with caved in ceilings and downed electrical wiring. The Harbour Island All Age sustained extensive damage to the high school building.

The James Cistern and Green Castle Primary Schools reopened on 14th September, and the others reopened on Monday 20th September.

Mr. Speaker, based on an assessment of the quantitative and qualitative damage estimates to the public school system, an amount of some $25 million. would have to be spent on replacement costs and repairs to the educational physical infrastructure. The Ministry of Works and Utilities has been instructed to undertake the requisite preparations of scopes of works to address the repair needs of the Central Abaco High School, the R.N. Gomez All Age School, St. Georges High School and the Martin Town Primary School

Mr. Speaker:

One final point needs to be mentioned while on education. It will be very important over the next few months for teams comprising psychologists, guidance counsellors, nutritionists and other health professionals to monitor and evaluate the physical, psychological and emotional well being of students who have recently gone through such a traumatic ordeal including, in all too may instances, the loss of home and personal belongings.

Mr. Speaker:

In anticipation of the hurricane season, the Ministry of Health and its Agencies activated its disaster preparedness committees in late March 2004. Committees in the Department of Public Health, the Department of Environmental Health Services and the Institutions of the Public Hospitals Authority met regularly, to ensure adequacy of preparation for the periods before, during and after a hurricane.

Immediately following the announcement that the southeastern islands were under a watch for Hurricane Frances, the Department of Public Health pre-positioned health teams of extra Doctors and Nurses to those islands. These teams armed with additional drugs, medical supplies and Rapid Needs Assessment Instruments were prepared to provide health care support and submit accurate assessments of the impact of hurricane Frances.

In New Providence, Grand Bahama and the other islands, the Administration, hurricane preparedness committees and relevant staff ensured that clinics and hospitals were not only secured, but were well prepared with adequate staff, supplies and drugs for any eventuality associated with the hurricane.

The Ministry of Health, Department of Environmental Services and the three major hospitals of the Public Hospitals Authority all activated twenty-four Command Centres to coordinate the appropriate response to emergencies occasioned by the hurricane. These Command Centres operated in conjunction with NEMA.

The Pan American Health Organization, through its local office secured the support of three Disaster Preparedness experts to work along with the in-country Health Systems Advisor. This team provided support to NEMA, the Ministry of Health and the Department of Environmental Health Services in the areas of communication, assessment and supplies management (SUMA).

The pre-positioning of Healthcare Teams, the use of the Rapid Assessment Instruments ensured a constant flow of information, thus enabling continuity of health services during the hurricane. Patients were successfully evacuated from three islands, while the Emergency Medical Services responded to sixteen (16) ambulance calls in New Providence and one (1) in Grand Bahama. Satellite telephone communication was a specific challenge.

The facilities of the Ministry of Health and the Public Hospitals Authority, and clinics and health centres throughout The Bahamas weathered Hurricane Frances fairly well with the exception of the following:

● Roof damage and leaks at the Princess Margaret Hospital and Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.

● Minor damage to new Providence Clinics

● Roof damage to the Rand Memorial Hospital, Eight Mile Rock, Hawksbill and High Rock Clinics

● Minor damage to Family Island Clinics

Immediately following the passage of Hurricane Frances, technical officers from the Department of Public Health and Environmental Health Services visited all of the affected communities and confirmed the preliminary assessments as identified by the Rapid Needs Assessment Teams.

The Department of Environmental Health Services, in addition to providing immediate support in clearing hurricane debris from roads, verges and public spaces dispatched its Health Inspectors to all the affected Islands to mount a comprehensive vector control, and food safety initiative. Larviciding has been carried out on all islands to control mosquito breeding, and all food establishments will be visited to monitor for food contamination and condemnation. Chlorine tablets have been distributed for water safety as required. Additional equipment to better manage debris is needed and will be addressed.

To facilitate the immediate removal of hurricane - related waste, the Department of Environmental Health Services temporarily suspended the $10 fee required for the disposal of this waste on the Island of New Providence.

It is recognized that a major hurricane is a traumatic event and as such, most people will feel overwhelmed, stunned and often suppress their reactions. This can adversely affect their mental health; consequently, the Ministry of Health, in conjunction with the Public Hospitals Authority, has launched a Mental Health Initiative. Mental Health Teams will also collaborate with local Health committees and professionals on 12 Family Islands for the provision of post-disaster psychological support.

Based on the rapid assessment the following areas require immediate response. It is important to mention that a more detailed assessment is now being conducted by the various agencies therefore the nature and magnitude of health care needs can still be modified.

● Urgent repair and or reconstruction of affected health facilities with emphasis in the two hospitals in view of the active hurricane season. Estimated total cost of $1,273,090 with Hospitals costing $408,530, Department of Public Health Clinics $496,000 and Grand Bahama Health Services Clinics $368,560.

● A comprehensive post-disaster Public Health Programme in Grand Bahama (where the most devastation occurred) is being implemented. The Programme will include Environmental Health, Public Health Education, Post Disaster Stress Management Interventions and Nutrition.

● A National disaster stress management programme to address mental health needs has been introduced. This programme will monitor closely the mental health of the affected population, and will ensure the provision of post-traumatic counseling services, specifically related to violence (in particular domestic violence), drug abuse and depression. The estimated cost of this programme is $76,000.00.

● The immediate restoration and intensification of environmental health interventions, particularly monitoring water quality, food inspection, vector control, and solid waste management including the implementation of an aggressive Vector Control strategy focused on mosquitoes, fly and rat control. The estimated cost of this environmental programme is $1,318,000.

● Intensive public awareness campaigns on post disaster health issues and training at community level will be conducted at an estimated cost of $20,000.

● The replacement of vaccines lost and critical equipment (generators) to guarantee the cold chain to preserve vaccines is currently being addressed. This include the identification of appropriate storage in those islands were health clinics suffered significant damage. The estimated cost is $68,500.00

● Replace damaged equipment and supplies in affected primary health facilities at an estimated cost of $3,500.00 for Department of Public Health clinics.

● The intensification of nutrition surveillance and micro-nutrient programme in affected areas. The estimated cost is not yet available.

● Increase the disaster response capacity in the Health Sector and develop contingency plan for the potential threat of other Hurricanes.

To ensure the timely implementation of these initiative, three health teams will be created to visit the affected communities. Additionally, a centrally located Hot-line will be established to provide psychological support. Psychiatrists, Psychologist and trained nurses, volunteers and Social Workers will respond to calls on line.

A preliminary cost of $3.284 million will be required to restore the facilities and implement related initiatives associated with Hurricane Frances. This includes $1.197 million for the Public Hospitals Authority, $2.087 million for the Department of Public Health and the Environmental Health Services.

Overall, the health sector’s response to the Hurricane Frances disaster has been adequate. Going forward it is imperative that appropriate communication equipment be functional at all times; and that generated power supply remains constant.

Hurricane Frances created many public health challenges, especially in Grand Bahama and in Abaco and special action was required by Public Health Officials In Grand Bahama. In particular more than 100 tons of waste was produced from food spoilage, dead animals and birds and debris from the destruction of homes, carpeting and other furnishing.

Among the concerns were: (1). Disposal of more than 400,000 birds at the chicken farm; (2). Management of waste generated in West End, Grand Bahama; (3). The uplifting of 7 caskets; (4). The potential spoilage of food due to power outage; (5). Potential for mosquito breeding because of water inundation; (6). Potential for severe fly infestation due to vast amount of decomposing materials.

These concerns are being addressed through a series of actions. Among them are:

Monitoring of all food establishments to ensure compromised, contaminated or thawed goods are not offered for sale; condemnation and destruction being done as necessary;

Larvaciding - to control mosquito.

All waste, horticultural and other debris and bird carcasses to be disposed of by burial in a series of excavations on site and covered with a minimum of five feet of cover material.

To a lesser degree, these same measures have been adopted in Abaco and other islands where there was considerable amount of debris and solid waste. Naturally these efforts will be intensified in light of the passage of Hurricane Jeanne.

Mr. Speaker:

Because of the completeness of the Report from the Ministry of Health, I beg leave to table a copy of the Report as a part of this Communication, for the information of Honourable Members.

Mr. Speaker:

The economy of the Bahamas rests, to a considerable degree, on three main pillars, that is tourism, financial services and agriculture and fisheries. Of these sectors, two were severely impacted by Hurricane Frances.

The Ministry of Tourism and The Bahamas Hotel Association reported that many of the resort facilities in the islands affected by Hurricane Frances suffered damages of some degree but not to the extent that would severely curtail their normal cycle of operation

In New Providence the Breezes Super Club suffered damages to the roof and experienced flooding on the first floor. Sandals Resort, also on Cable Beach experienced minor damages and closed on a temporary basis to ensure that the resort when opened would be at the fullest level and standard of service. Sandals re-opened for business last Thursday, 23rd and Breezes Super Club opened on Friday, 1st October, 2004.

In San Salvador, Club Med suffered major damage and is temporarily closed.

In Grand Bahama, the Royal Oasis suffered major damage. The owner of that property had indicated prior to the passage of Hurricane Jeanne that it is expected that this property will be re-opened and this is still the intention of the owners. Our Lucaya also suffered damaged to landscaping and from flooding of certain areas. Repairs and a general cleanup are in full swing and the Sheraton at Our Lucaya is scheduled to re-open on 14th October and the Westin on 1st November. The Isle of Caprie Casino will open of September 15. It is worth noting that during the entire period of the closure of the casino, the management took the extraordinary steps of paying salaries to the staff of this facility.

Mr. Speaker:

The tourism sector remains important to the Bahamian economy. At the end of July of this year, The Bahamas was some seventeen percent ahead of the record performance of last year and on track to break the five million visitor mark for the first time in history. Business to the Nassau and Paradise Island area was up by 14.9%. Business to Grand Bahama was up by 37.1% and business to the Family Island was up by 12.5%.

Impressive gains were recorded in all these areas for both stopover and cruise passengers, including an estimated increase of 10% in total visitor spending, which is one of the most important measures of the robustness of our tourism sector. In fact, Mr. Speaker, if business levels for the final four months of the year were to have remained at exactly the same as the levels last year, we would have broken the five million mark easily.

So Mr. Speaker:

Along comes September which is generally acknowledged as the slowest month of the year for our tourism industry. It is so largely because it is, and is generally seen to be, the busiest month for hurricanes in our part of the world. Even so, some properties forecasted business for the months of September and October that was some 30 percent ahead of the same periods for last year. They, along with the Ministry of Tourism, had put in place special promotions to stimulate September business. Hurricane Frances followed by the threat of hurricane Ivan and the passage of Hurricane Jeanne have all resulted in a slow down of the performance of the tourism sector. It is hoped that this slowdown is temporary and that the rebound in business will be very swift barring any more significant intrusions from other storms for the remainder of this year.

To combat misconceptions and negative press reports, information has been issued daily to the industry and to the international press and all daily updates have been presented on the tourism web site Bahamas.com where date stamped photographs also showed facilities in operation and visitors enjoying themselves in The Bahamas under the banner: “The Bahamas Bounces Back”.

Mr. Speaker, according to the damage assessment reports that have been collected and inspected by the Ministry of Tourism and the Bahamas Hotel Association, it appears that with few exceptions, the entire tourism plant will be back in place by December 15th, the traditionally recognized start of the winter season. Some 90% of those properties that are normally open at this time of the year will have reopened as of October 1st.

All of the airports and cruise ports have already re-opened after thorough inspection, although it is expected that the Domestic Section of the Freeport International Airport will have to undergo extensive repairs before becoming fully operational. It is expected that some of the damaged properties and ports will come back to the marketplace in better condition than they were and better than they would have been were there no hurricane damage.

Given what has happened on San Salvador, on Eleuthera, on Abaco and on Grand Bahama, the hardest hit Islands, this rate of recovery is remarkable. During my visit to Abaco on Monday past I observed that repairs have already begun on private docks and marinas on that Island and I was informed that hopefully by mid December many of the marinas will be opened for yachting business. We can only pray that no other storms intrude on these expectations before the end of the current season.

The Ministry of Tourism and the industry will resume advertising and promotion starting on national US cable television stations within the next two weeks to let our primary market know that the storm is over, the coast is clear and it is time for their Bahamas Break again. By that time, Bahamas.com will already have streaming video of vacationers enjoying themselves throughout The Bahamas so that there is visible and credible testimony to the wonderful vacation conditions in The Bahamas.

The Ministry will be initiating the emplacement of a number of web cams throughout The Bahamas so that hereafter all prospective visitors can see for themselves the conditions that prevail throughout The Bahamas. We understand some of the risks that these emplacements will roll out with little concern. You see, Mr. Speaker, we firmly believe that by reason of God’s great blessings on The Bahamas as an archipelagic nation, there is a very good chance that no matter what happens in any one place, there will always be another place where the calm and beauty of The Bahamas will shine through.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we have the great good fortune to have a significant increase in the number of high quality airline seats coming into The Bahamas in the near term.

□ Jet Blue will inaugurate daily service between New York and Nassau on November 1 using A320 equipment with a 165 passenger capacity.

□ Song, Delta’s low-cost subsidiary, starts New York-Nassau daily jet service December 1 with 757 equipment with 199 seats.

□ On January 10, Spirit Airlines will begin providing 180 seats between Ft. Lauderdale and Nassau with MD 80 equipment in a service that originates in Chicago and feeds from nine additional gateways.

□ Bahamasair will begin service into Georgetown from Ft. Lauderdale on November 15. This Dash 8 service will fly four days per week.

□ Additionally, US Airways will initiate jet service between Georgetown, Exuma and Charlotte, North Carolina on December 18.

This is in addition to the great service that is provided to The Bahamas by the other major carriers such as Delta, American, Air Tran etc. Not only will these new airline seats expand the availability of seats to The Bahamas from several key markets, our industry expects them to substantially restore the competitiveness of The Bahamas in the marketplace in a way that has not been seen for a decade.

While on the subject of Tourism and additional airlift, I wish to inform this House with respect to developments at the Nassau International Airport (NIA).

Last week Friday the Ad Hoc Committee in conjunction with the Airport Authority completed its evaluation of various proposals of the short listed companies for the management of the NIA. The Airport Authority will shortly make a recommendation to the Government on the selection of the successful company. Following negotiations on the terms of a contract it is expected that a contract will be entered into for the management and operations of the NIA by a private entity.

At the same time, the Government has accelerated its review of the Airport in Abaco and has contracted an Airport Consulting firm to access the existing situation and make recommendations for improving the presently unacceptable conditions.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot leave this subject without addressing the need for us to ensure some comfort to those persons who will be displaced for some extended period of time as a result of the refurbishment of their properties. I have been assured personally by the owners of the larger properties that will reopen after November 1st that they will indeed open on the dates that they are publishing and in time for the winter season.

Before I leave the subject of tourism Mr. Speaker, I wish to publicly thank those tourism partners both within and outside The Bahamas that have provided some contribution toward our hurricane relief efforts. The contributions range from the significant cash contributions, to supplies, to advertising discounts for the coming months. I thank them all on behalf of all the people of The Bahamas. They truly understand the meaning of friendship and partnership.

Mr. Speaker:

I now wish to report briefly on the damages incurred to the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Firstly with regard to agriculture, sectors inclusive of food crops, ornamentals, and livestock suffered damage to infrastructure, loss of crops, livestock as well as loss of supplies. Short-term and semi-permanent crops were reported lost throughout the Bahamas. Permanent crops were lost to varying degrees depending on the location and the severity of windstorms and tidal surge events. All major livestock producing islands reported losses to small ruminants and losses to the poultry sector.

Damage and loss assessment is ongoing but preliminary estimates are that loss and damages is valued at forty-five ($45,000,000.00) million dollars.

Vegetable production throughout The Bahamas has been impacted through the loss of established crops, seedlings, and infrastructure. Recovery in some areas will be retarded due to residual salt intrusion following storm surge events. The onion crop next year will be later than usual due to loss of all seedbeds and seedling transplants; the crop will have to be replanted.

All plantings of cool season vegetables have been lost throughout the country. All early plantings, seedbeds, and seedlings will have to be replaced. Many farmers have experienced damage or loss of protective structures, plastic sheeting, shade cloth, seedling trays and ground cover.

The banana crop has been lost in its entirety, however recovery for areas not affected by saltwater intrusion are expected within nine to twelve months. All areas affected by saltwater will require substantially longer recovery periods. The assessed value of the crop, which was located principally in Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Eleuthera, is approximately $3 million dollars.

The pineapple crop, currently enjoying significant recovery, has been severely affected by wind damage with pineapple producers in Eleuthera suffering the most loss. Producers in Central and South Eleuthera reported losses valued at $910,000.00. Direct intervention in the provision of planting materials will be required to accelerate the recovery of this crop.

The native corn crop on Long Island and Cat Island has been lost in its entirety; the short term supply of native yellow corn grits will be affected. In direct response, an emergency supply of corn seed has been sent to Long Island farmers to replant this locally important crop.

The current fruit crop throughout The Bahamas has been lost. Windstorm damage has destroyed most citrus fruit. Grapefruit and oranges have been most severely affected and as a result grapefruit exports from Abaco and Andros will be severely reduced this season. Citrus fruit in North Eleuthera and Abaco destined for the Bahamian market will be severely reduced also. Direct losses are valued at $15.5 million in Abaco, $1.5 million in Grand Bahama, $1.2 million on the island of Eleuthera and $½ million in Andros. While fruit loss accounted for all the value in Andros, significant acreages of citrus trees will be lost to localized flooding and storm surge in all the other islands.

All ornament producers on New Providence, Abaco, Eleuthera and Grand Bahama have experienced damage to protective structures and loss of crops. The seasonal poinsettia crop will be affected by the hurricane; although damage to the ornamental sector is not limited to this crop.

The poultry sector was severely affected due to the current concentration of production in Grand Bahama and Abaco of broiler meat and eggs. Significant losses were noted in live birds, frozen inventory, layers, stored egg inventory, and structural damage. Flooding due to storm surge accounted for significant loss of live birds in Grand Bahama. Loss of poultry products in Grand Bahama is estimated at $4 million. Abaco reported direct loses of approximately one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), loss at Diamond farms in New Providence was reported at approximately fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00); continuing mortality will no doubt raise these values in the coming weeks.

Loss of small ruminants was recorded in Cat Island, Exuma, Long Island, Eleuthera, and Abaco. Loss was principally due to drowning and physical trauma caused by the collapse of protective structures.

Significant damage to three packing houses has resulted in the closure of two packing houses at Exuma and Cat Island and a third at Green Castle requiring major refurbishments. Additionally, significant roof damage was sustained to the Fish and Farm Store at Potter’s Cay; emergency repairs was done but the unit will require the replacement of the entire roof.

An immediate response in the provision of seeds, transplants and fertilizers will be provided to ensure the replanting of the vegetable crops. Intervention in the provision of planting materials for pineapple and banana plants will also be provided to massist in the recovery of these two important crops.

To minimize future potential natural disaster crop losses, it is recommended that re-planting of long-term crops should be done only in areas where there is not a history of localized flooding or storm surge. Recovery in such instances would be facilitated by the provision of nursery stock for replanting.

Recovery assistance to small ruminant producers will be facilitated by the Department of Agriculture through the provision of selected breeding stock, land clearing assistance and the facilitation of equipment and building materials for the management and confinement of the small ruminant herd.

Recovery assistance to the ornamental and poultry sectors will be facilitated by the suspension of customs duties and stamp tax as recently announced.

In depth analysis of individual farmer loss is in progress; however, the passage of Hurricane Jeanne interrupted the assessment in the islands of Cat Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island which have now resumed

The Districts of North Eleuthera, parts of Cat Island and Grand Bahama have not been property surveyed; surveys are underway to determine the further extent of damages and loss due to hurricane Jeanne.

Mr. Speaker:

The Government will actively review the advisability of a Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Insurance Scheme. This is a matter which has been pending for sometime and assistance has already been received from the Food and Agricultural Organization. (FAO). My Government will review the recommendations, in this regard, and will determine the feasibility of such a scheme.

As to the fisheries sector, the damages suffered, as reported, were largely due to boats being damaged or sunk as well as damages to seafood processing plants in a few islands.

What is of greater economic impact is that due to the passage of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne and the continuous threat from other hurricanes, the fleet has largely been unable to return to the fishing grounds. This loss of fishing time has resulted in short term losses of income but these may be recouped later in the crawfish season. At this point it is not possible to say what extent fishing gear left at sea, such as lobster traps, fish pots and lobster habitats, may have been damaged by Hurricane Frances. Reports from several islands are available as to the estimated value of damages and I detail them for the information of Members: