THE Guyana Consulate in The Bahamas is working feverishly to ensure that all Guyanese on the hurricane-ravished island are accounted for, and provided with the best possible care.

“Our primary goal is to ensure that our compatriots receive the best care and provision that we can offer in the first instance,” Honorary Consul for Guyana, Jairam Mangra, told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday. On Monday and Tuesday, the Honorary Consul and the Guyana-Bahamas Association met with Guyanese who have been affected as a result of the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian when it struck The Bahamas on September 1, decimating Abaco Islands in the process. Grand Bahama, the northernmost island of the Bahamas, was also severely devastated.

While the record shows that approximately 80 Guyanese families had registered as residents in Grand Bahama, Mangra said it is likely that there are many more Guyanese on the island than those who have would registered with the consulate. The consulate, he said, is trying its utmost to locate all Guyanese who have been affected as a result of the hurricane.

Guyanese, who were resident on the Abaco Islands at the time of the storm, have been evacuated, along with other nationals, to New Providence. “So far I have checked with many of the shelters, and they are no Guyanese nationals in any of the shelters. They have been accommodated by friends and relatives in New Providence, thankfully, (and) that’s very good,” Mangra reported. Approximately 5,000 residents have been evacuated from the hurricane-hit islands to New Providence, including some from Grand Bahama. “Those who have chosen to remain in Grand Bahama, they are trying to cope with the tough living conditions, lack of electricity, water, and so they have appealed to us, especially to the consulate for assistance,” Mangra said.

He said the consulate is pushing in the extra hours to provide critical items to those persons. “Their immediate needs are water, food, particularly canned foods,” he posited. It is expected by today, those affected on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahamas would be provided with additional food and water.

The Honorary Consul said in New Providence there is access to food and water. “We are receiving an abundance of aid coming in. The difficulty is the logistics of getting it to the people were they are,” he told this newspaper. He explained that once water, food and other critical items arrive, it has to be transported and distributed to hurricane affected islands – a process that can take more than one day.

However, he is optimistic that the situation in the affected islands will improve for Guyanese, the Bahamians and other nationals. “Within a few days, things will improve drastically, especially in Grand Bahama,” Mangra said.

On Tuesday, the Honorary Consul also met with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education for The Bahamas to discuss the available options for the large number of Guyanese teachers affected as a result of the storm.

“Certainly in Abaco, there is no room for them to be retained in Abaco for schooling purposes. So they have been offered the opportunity to be relocated to other islands, and that is the most viable option that is available,” the Honorary Consul said.

He said the Bahamian Education Ministry is doing its best to accommodate the affected Guyanese teachers at schools on other islands within The Bahamas. “Now should they seek to remain in New Providence, now that poses a challenge because…the Bahamian teachers would prefer to be in New Providence, because it is the city,” Mangra explained.
While New Providence is regarded as the city, accounting for 70 per cent of the total population of The Bahamas, Mangra believes that relocating to other islands is also a viable option.

“It is not a bad option at all. In fact it is a good option in many cases. Given their horrific experience, I don’t know what decision they will make but they always have the option of returning to Guyana,” Mangra said. He acknowledged, however, that due to their horrifying experience, they would need time to consider their options – weighing the pros and the cons. Counseling for the affected is also critical at this time, he posited.

On Monday, the Honorary Consul met with approximately nine teachers, who are attached to the Catholic Board of Education. “They also had a meeting with the Director of the Catholic Board of Education. They had a very fruitful discussion, where their future employment, working and living conditions were discussed,” Mangra disclosed. At the executive level, he said the Catholic Board of Education will decide on the systems that will be put in place to facilitate those teachers within the private education system.

In the meantime, those teachers are housed at the Breezes Bahamas All Inclusive Hotel. They will be there until Friday, Mangra said. “I met with them at the hotel and I learnt of their horrific experiences of survival,” he stated, while noting that he was also told of their needs, and is currently working with the authorities to ensure those teachers are assisted.
While returning to their homeland remains an option, the Consul said Guyanese teachers there may want to remain because they are highly respected in The Bahamas. “Their work ethics are exemplary and the people love them, so it is not an easy thing to break away from that admiration and affection that is shown; and the dedication that these teachers have displayed is commendable at the highest level; so it is a hard choice really to say that I will go back home, even though I am sure in their hearts they would want to do so, it is a hard decision for them to make,” he explained.

The Honorary Consul has been in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. Mangra said a number of Guyanese living in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world have reached out to the consulate to provide assistance, however, they have been advised to make those contributions through their embassies and consulates. He said it is important for everyone to work in unison and one accord.

Mangra is also cognisant of the ground work being done by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to mobilise assistance, however, he underscored the importance of having a clear understanding of the needs of the people.

Through a Whatsapp contact, more than 100 Guyanese, living in The Bahamas, have directly and indirectly reached out to the CDC for assistance. The CDC has joined its Regional partners through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to provide relief and support to the Bahamians and Guyanese who have been affected as a result of Dorian, a category five hurricane that struck the Bahamas. Here in Guyana, the CDC has established a Whatsapp contact – 592-662-0671 – for affected Guyanese to reach out for assistance.