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.”
“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.
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.
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.
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?