National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of Bahamas

The Government of The Bahamas has a Disaster Management Committee composed of representatives from relevant Government Ministries and Departments and from the private sector. The Committee meets once a month throughout the year to discuss means to mitigate the impact of disasters, including hurricanes.

The Disaster Management Committee focuses on the importance of being properly prepared for a hurricane or other disaster. Measures taken before the hurricane season starts, such as having adequate shutters, can greatly reduce the amount of individual loss during a hurricane. Having an adequate stock of canned foods and water will ensure that individuals do not spend time in supermarkets in the critical hours leading up to the landfall of the hurricane. This time could be better used in securing the individual's house and property or in getting to a shelter. 

In the event that a disaster occurs, the Government may have programmes in place to assist the victims of the disaster. Following the passage of hurricane Floyd in September of 1999, the Recovery Subcommittee was established for the purpose of assisting the many persons who suffered loss due to the hurricane. Government programmes included distribution of emergency supplies, distribution of building material duty exemption on the importation of replacement items, and the construction of houses for senior citizens and destitute persons who lost houses in the hurricane.