UB-North partnered with the Grand Bahama Port Authority to host a one-day Climate Risk Assessment workshop. More than 40 businesses took advantage of this free workshop that took place at the Pelican Bay Hotel on Wednesday, March 27.
This workshop not only focused on the business environment and climate, hazards and natural disasters, and the tools needed to assess risks, but participants were also privy to the lessons that the Port Authority learned after catastrophic events in the recent past.
Mrs. Nakira Wilchcombe, Vice President of Building & Development Services, along with her colleagues, Mr. Dudley Francis, Chief Building Manager and Mr. Donovan Cox, Assistant Building Manager, shared some sobering statistics related to recent hurricanes and how they affected Grand Bahama.
The Port Authority’s team told the audience that the re-occurring disaster trends in Grand Bahama over the past two decades have been high velocity winds in excess of 100 mph, flooding/storm surge and tornado/hurricane winds nearing tornado status. Such disasters caused structural damage to buildings, coastal erosion, saltwater inundation of groundwater, and mold, among other issues.
Mr. Cox told the audience that the Port Authority uses a GIS (Geographic Information System) to analyze and display geographically referenced information that is needed to help the Building and Development Service Department collect the necessary data needed to bring restoration to specific areas. Additionally, Mr. Francis made very specific recommendations to address all of the issues associated with hurricanes, with the hope that businesses would do what is necessary to protect their properties as best as possible.
All of the information participants gleaned from this full day workshop will allow them to write a business continuity plan that is necessary for them to prepare for and mitigate against any disaster or hazard that could hamper their businesses.
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