Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, the Hon. Leon Lundy visited Grand Bahama on Thursday along with officials of the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). While on the island the group paid a courtesy call on Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey as well as toured DRA and NEMA offices and facilities.
Lundy told ZNS News, “we came to Grand Bahama for my first official visit as the overseer of NEMA and the disaster relief agency and we’re combining all the agencies into one ministry. So that was out mission to come to all of the departments, see the staff, let them know our vision moving forward with preparedness being the main key focus and driver towards that collaboration.”
The Minister of State also highlighted some of the issues discussed on the trip. “We discussed especially, bring together and making sure that the warehouse is fully stocked with supplies. Making sure that all of the shelters that we choose as shelters are fully adequate to house people and we’re also looking at the new space for the management over here in Grand Bahama and we just viewed that space in the downtown area.”
Lundy also spoke about merger plans for the DRA and NEMA. He said, “that merger is important because we passed that legislation is 2022. In order for us to come together and make sure that one agency, one ministry is the driving force where we don’t have different agencies doing almost simultaneously the same vision but definitely making sure that our plans and for the government its all about preparedness, mitigation, making sure that there’s one vehicle steering that direction.”
The Minister of State is expected to visit the island of Abaco next week.
