Recovery and Reconstruction Efforts on Abaco Continue
Commemorating the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Dorian this week, GER3 is grateful to still be with the Bahamian community, honoring those who were lost and remembering the incredible event that drastically changed their lives in a matter of hours. Over a year later, recovery and reconstruction efforts have come a long way, but a significant amount of work remains and the global pandemic has posed additional challenges to the recovery efforts. GER3’s response team arrived in the Bahamas exactly one year ago today and is proud to have supported projects all the way from the early relief phase through reconstruction.
Despite implications of the COVID-19 global pandemic, GER3 has maintained a Global Response Team on the ground on Abaco throughout 2020. Thankfully, the number of COVID cases on Abaco has remained relatively low and the hurricane reconstruction work has been permitted to continue despite various periods of lockdown and temporary closure of businesses in the Bahamas. Our team currently consists of three international team members in Abaco and over 75 local Bahamians who have integrated with our team as either cash for workers or local contractors.
GER3 is now working on three key projects, focusing on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of schools, homes, and hurricane shelters. At the core of each project is GER3’s approach to community engagement and building back better. Each is described in further detail below.
SCHOOL RECOVERY IN ABACO
Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS)
Significant progress at CAPS means the school is on track to open for the upcoming school year. As of this report, CAPS is expected to open for teachers on October 5th, however, the physical return of students to school is contingent upon COVID-19 safety protocols and procedures that are under continuous review. It is likely that teachers will begin teaching remotely from their classrooms on October 5th, with students returning at a later date through a hybrid approach. Some external work on the school will continue through the end of October, but will not affect the return of students and teachers.
As the project has evolved over the past several months, many additional elements of building back better have been incorporated into the design of the school. Notably, the school has been rebuilt to meet official hurricane shelter standards and has already been tested during Hurricane Isaias. During the storm, CAPS safely sheltered 30 individuals and sustained no damage. This was a great success for the CAPS team and community, especially considering the rehabilitation project is still underway.
CAPS windows boarded in preparation for Hurricane Isais on August 1st.
The project team at CAPS is led by GER3’s construction project manager, Damian Browne. Damian leads a team comprised of local contractors and cash-for-workers on site each day, ensuring that the various scopes of work are completed effectively, efficiently, and in line with GER3’s values and standards. The team continues to be tremendously dedicated to the project and the overall effort of rebuilding the community. Morning work briefings take place every day before tasks start to ensure coordination and safety on site. Special precautions are taken following the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Works’ guidelines for working on construction sites during COVID-19. Hand washing stations have been established, workers are spread out across the worksite, and mask-wearing is required for personnel working within certain distances of one another.
Interior repairs at CAPS have advanced significantly, with many classrooms nearing completion. All six main school buildings’ interiors are 95% complete with only light painting works, cabinet installation, and accordion door installation remaining. Interior tile installation across the school is 100% complete. The electrical trim out (final fix) is nearing completion and the A/C, windows and doors installation will be complete by the end of August. The final stages of furniture and equipment procurement are in motion with shipments to arrive in the coming weeks.
Substantial progress has been made on the exterior repairs as well. Shown in images below, the roof truss assembly has been installed over the courtyard with final tie-in to the existing structure underway. Blocking, hurricane strapping, and lateral bracing is also being installed to ensure durability and sustainability. Designs for two covered walkways on the north side are in-hand and procurement is underway.
All external crack repair and masonry work is 100% complete and exterior painting continues with resources allocated to steelwork and fascia boards. Bahamas Power and Lighting (BPL) will perform quality checks on its existing cables to the school as well as change out the existing transformers to support the new power requirements (800A) for the school’s electrical system. A new generator is on-site and ready for installation. Gutter installation is underway which will ultimately incorporate Water Mission’s (a WASH NGO) rainwater collection system for the school.
Exterior photos can be found below.
The new circular sanitation system has been successfully installed and is in the final stages its of set-up and commissioning. The goal of the circular sanitation system is to treat wastewater so that it can be re-used and recycled as nutrient-dense fertilizer for a constructed wetland (or garden). The garden at CAPS will encompass a footprint of roughly 1200 SF and will play host to several different types of Abaconian wetland grasses, plants, and fauna. Additionally, the system’s filtration will reduce the amount of black water that enters the grounds surrounding the school. The entire system is gravity fed, reducing the need for high-maintenance pumps and excess electricity use.
During the final stage of the system, treated effluent flows into a constructed wetland. The constructed wetland consists of a series of graduated rock sizes from large (at the bottom) to small (close to the surface). The treated wastewater flows through the rock beds, fertilizing the garden, and subsequently flows into an outlet pipe on the opposite side of the wetland. The effluent from the wetland is filtered three times before exiting and can therefore can safely enter the ground.
The system not only acts as a shining example of a green approach for Abaco’s public institutions, but also offers an educational tool for students at CAPS. It will act as a hands-on educational resource for students who can learn about sustainability, biodiversity, engineering, and sanitation right in their school’s backyard. This sanitation system was initially funded by UNICEF and was inspired by a similar project at the Island School on Eleuthera Island.
GER3 is extremely grateful for its donors and partners who are involved in the work at CAPS. It has been a tremendous effort and we look forward to sharing the success of the project with all who have contributed.
Every Child Counts School
Every Child Counts School (ECC) is a special needs school in Marsh Harbour that supports the education and housing of children and adults living with disabilities. Unfortunately, the school has been temporarily closed as a result of Hurricane Dorian. Initial rehabilitation work was started earlier this year by GER3’s partner, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), but was postponed due to COVID-19 evacuations. Funded by the Discovery Land Company Foundation, GER3 is now working in close coordination with AHAH to complete the rehabilitation of the ECC school over the next three months. GER3’s specific contribution to the project is focusing on three main components of the school:
- Residence Building: Built and completed shortly before Hurricane Dorian, it is intended to eventually house adults living with disabilities. Since Dorian, it has served as a place for AHAH volunteers to live while working on the school. In the near-term, this building will be used to house traveling teachers who do not otherwise have a place to stay in Abaco before eventually housing adults living with disabilities.
- Seydel Building: This is a functional building which will house a multi-purpose classroom and a kitchen for the entire school.
- Workshop Building (Gift Shop): The workshop functions as an administrative building combined with a hands-on art and workshop area for the residents and students of ECC.
As this is a new project for GER3, the team is developing scopes of work to be finalized soon with work to begin in the next several weeks.
Housing & Shelter Recovery in ABACO
Housing Rehabilitation
In addition to the work at CAPS, GER3 supported the full rehabilitation of several teachers’ homes (affiliated with CAPS) in the Marsh Harbour area. The rehabilitation of the teachers’ homes allows teachers to return home in time for the reopening of CAPS and the start of the new school year.
A total of seven (7) damaged housing units belonging to teachers in the Marsh Harbour area were selected for rehabilitation under a grant from UNICEF. The selection of homes was based on a mix of vulnerability, willingness to return to Abaco, and scope work to be completed. GER3 worked closely with the community and local general contractors to complete the rehabilitation work.
“On September 1st, 2019, the worst hurricane I have ever experienced in my 45 years on this earth destroyed my home but even worst took the life away from me I once knew. Being a single mother, I wasn't sure how and when I could ever restore my home, but thanks to GER3, I feel as if I'm getting my life back. Thank you for the constant updates and reassurances and most importantly for the professionalism and efficiency in which you demonstrated to get my home restored to an even better state than it was pre-Dorian. Words cannot express how grateful I am.” -Donica Mackey, June 25, 2020
Four teachers have returned and three are expected to return in the coming weeks.
In partnership with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church (AGOC) in Nassau, GER3 has also supported the rehabilitation of two additional teachers’ homes in the Marsh Harbour area and two vulnerable community members’ homes. With the onset of this year’s hurricane season, it is very important for these individuals to be able to move back into their homes quickly and safely.
Shelter and Home Rehabilitation Project
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is generously supporting GER3 with funding from the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Recovery Fund to undertake another significant rehabilitation project. With a strong focus on hurricane shelters and homes, the project seeks to continue the rehabilitation of vulnerable communities on Abaco. The goal is to ensure communities are more resilient and better prepared for future storms – which are expected to increase in intensity on average as a result of increasing water temperatures in the Caribbean and South Atlantic.
An IOM report from March 2020 identified a significant gap in available hurricane shelter space and resources on Abaco and its corresponding cays. The report found that prior to Hurricane Dorian, government-sanctioned shelters had space for only 1,676 individuals, which is less than 10% of the island’s population. This project will increase the amount of available space in hurricane shelters and will ensure the shelters are more durable and better resourced for future storms.
The local team has selected three shelters: New Baptist Church located in Treasure Cay, Guana Cay Primary School located on Guana Cay, and Man-O-War Primary School located on Man-O-War Cay. GER3 is working with local community members and contractors to ensure these shelters are rehabilitated to meet official hurricane standards and incorporate GER3’s approach of building back better.
In addition to repairs and upgrades to the shelters themselves, GER3 will be training local community representatives as shelter managers using a Bahamian government-sanctioned curriculum. The team will also be providing the shelters with essential emergency items such as generators, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, flashlights, and/or bottled water/non-perishable food.
Separate from the direct technical assistance to hurricane shelters, but equally important for the surrounding communities, GER3 is supporting the rehabilitation of 15 hurricane-damaged homes in the same communities. In March 2020, the Red Cross launched a program to rehabilitate 300 homes; and within one month they had received applications for over 500 units. The main gap in housing rehabilitation is the lack of funding for heavy repairs and full reconstructions. Through this grant from CDP, GER3 is supporting the rehabilitation of these homes that require repairs that go beyond what other agencies (Red Cross and Disaster Reconstruction Authority) have been able to support.
Debris Management & Capacity Building
Funded by UNDP, GER3 managed and implemented a debris removal project on Abaco that included muck and gut, mold remediation, and debris removal services at Central Abaco Primary School, Patrick J Bethel School and eight (8) teachers’ homes using a cash-for-work (CfW) modality.
Debris removal work was conducted at the schools by local cash-for-work beneficiaries. An international field specialist and two local women supported GER3 to contact and organize workers. GER3 also worked with Abaco Machinery to provide the required equipment for the jobs, especially the truck and trailer needed to remove the debris from the schools to local debris staging areas. A total of 113 individuals - 64% female, 36% male – participated in and benefitted from this cash-for-work activity, and at least 68 truckloads of debris were removed from the two schools, clearing space for the on-going rehab work.
The second output of project entailed capacity building for the affected community. By the end of the project, cash-for-work beneficiaries and the Abaco community at large were trained on the process of mold remediation of private homes as a form of vocational training and increased local resiliency. GER3 arranged a week-long workshop for 15 local participants to receive training and full certification on mold remediation.
Thank you
We continue to be extremely grateful for our partners and donors who have supported GER3 to grow our programs and impact in the Bahamas. A special thank you to our donors: The Lyford Cay Foundation, Discovery Land Company Foundation, One Bahamas Fund, CDP, UNICEF, UNDP and AGOC and many partners who continue to make this work possible. We are proud of our local team and the significant work that has been completed thus far and look forward to exploring opportunities to continue our recovery and reconstruction work this fall.