Hurricane Dorian looming large, shortly before making landfall on the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas · NOAA
I assumed my duties at the Eight Mile Rock Clinic on August 30 and was assigned to the communications unit and search and rescue team. The wind was eerily still, and the sun radiated brighter than ever. This was indeed the clichéd “calm before the storm.”
Homes, schools, and clinics were among the structures decimated by Hurricane Dorian when it struck The Bahamas · Cristina Mittermeier
“Get tagged” is the instruction that I will never forget. We were told to get tagged because if the EOC became severely compromised, which was entirely possible, they’d need to be able to identify our bodies. The intensity and tension associated with this moment reflected the danger at hand.
After the hurricane became stationary over Grand Bahamas, rain, wind, and storm surge wreaked havoc for an unimaginable 41 hours · Cristina Mittermeier
Trevor’s first experience of emergency management was during Hurricane Dorian. After five hours of unending calls from panicked residents needing assistance, the telephones stopped ringing due to utility infrastructure being damaged · Cristina Mittermeier
Trevor was among the volunteers at the West Grand Bahamas Emergency Operations Center who were told to “get tagged” in case their bodies needed to be identified · Trevor Oneil Johnson II
The rain that fell on East Grand Bahamas during the hurricane amassed to more than 24 inches · Cristina Mittermeier
Hurricane Dorian’s initial damage assessments were valued at billions of dollars, and the recovery operation is ongoing · Cristina Mittermeier
Marks from other powerful “sea monsters” still scar the islands. Names like Ike, Irene, Joaquin, and Matthew serve as reminders of devastation and the changing climate · Cristina Mittermeier
To date, I’ve experienced the impacts of ten tropical weather systems — but Hurricane Dorian was by far the worst. The storm’s initial damage assessments were valued at a staggering $3.4 billion, representing nearly a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product.
Protected areas, including coral reefs and mangrove forests, were damaged during the storm. Initiatives such as debris removal and replanting mangroves have since taken place · Cristina Mittermeier
To promote the health of ecosystems and the sustainability of infrastructure in The Bahamas, there needs to be representation in the climate change sector · Cristina Mittermeier
The BCCC’s slogan, “80 in 80,” addresses the reality that in the next 80 years, The Bahamas is at risk of losing nearly 80 percent of its landmass due to its low elevation and sea level rise.
Trevor gives presentations to local audiences as part of his work to ensure that “climate change” becomes a household phrase in The Bahamas · Trevor Oneil Johnson II
It’s time for industrialized nations to take responsibility for their actions and to step up. We must mobilize on a larger scale to ensure that governments keep issues like climate change at the forefront of their legislative and policy agendas. How much longer can my islands be flattened by hurricanes before we act? How many lives must be lost? How many of my people must I embrace after terrifying experiences like Hurricane Dorian?
It’s time for governments to keep issues like climate change at the forefront of their legislative and policy agendas, especially in industrialized nations. The race against stronger hurricanes and sea level rise requires all of us to take genuine action · Cristina Mittermeier
