Nassau – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has taken the lead, alongside the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to assist the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Renewal with shelter coordination and management.
Through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Government has taken the responsibility of coordinating the emergency response from its Nassau-based National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
Last week, an emergency support function (ESF) humanitarian coordination structure was developed and is made up of 13 ESFs. Each of these have their own lead Government ministries and departments and are paired with UN agencies to implement activities.
“IOM has been partnered directly with ESF-6, which deals with mass care and shelter and is led by officials of the Ministry of Social Services,” explained Vynliz Dailey, the IOM Communications Officer.
Thousands of Bahamian residents displaced after Hurricane Dorian are being housed in gymnasiums, schools, churches and other emergency shelters while the Government and humanitarian partners move quickly to identify more durable, longer term housing solutions.
Through almost daily meetings with government officials and other humanitarian agencies and partners, solutions to the gaps identified regarding non-food item (NFI) distribution, communication, shelter capacity and protection issues, among others, are being identified. By the end of this week, IOM expects to submit a list of recommendations to…
