Forty-six youngsters, between ages five and 16, participating in the Pineridge Urban Renewal Summer Camp received a special presentation and valuable lessons on disaster preparedness, particularly in the event a hurricane, from a team from the University of Miami (UM) and Resilience Cities Catalyst on July 16, 2026.
Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey was also on hand during their visit and encouraged the youngsters to listen attentively to the wealth of knowledge imparted.
“It’s so important for both to learn: Our young people, many of them would have experienced Dorian. I think there are some younger ones who probably weren’t even born yet, so we want them to know how to prepare, what are the things that need to be done; they are going to have some interactive exercises to show them what to do,” the minister said. She added that for adults there are moments when they think they know what to do, but in the time of an emergency they find themselves lost, so it is always good when one can relearn what they have been taught.
Co-director of the Global Institute at UM Dr. Elizabeth Greig also stressed the importance of both young people and adults learning how to be prepared in the event of emergencies.
Dr. Greig noted that the Programme serves as a portion of a much larger project geared at community resilience.
“We’re thinking about programming to help, in this particular case, kids and parents understand how to evacuate and feel safe during a potential hurricane,” she said. The goal, she pointed out, is to educate the kids on what hurricane evacuation looks and feels like and to normalize the experience, while at the same time helping them to be prepared for the next one.
Dr. Greig said once kids are prepared, it makes it much easier on the parent.
The campers learned, via storybook readings and other printed literature, that they are crucial in helping their families prepare their home and themselves for hurricanes, emergencies and disasters and took part in interactive games which could help to sharpen their thinking skills during times of disaster.
They were also taught how to pack for a hurricane and were presented with their own emergency hurricane go-bag.
A similar Programme for adults and parents with special-needs children is also on the drawing board.
The Ministry for Grand Bahama also collaborated with the UM and Resilience Cities Catalyst team to host a Disaster Preparedness Planning with Family presentation later that day at the Harold DeGregory Complex in the COLLAB Unit.
The presentation brought together various government ministries to learn practical strategies for developing household emergency plans, strengthening family communication before, during and after a storm and understanding the essential supplies every household should have on hand in the event of a hurricane.
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