Dorian Is the New Normal. Here’s How the Bahamas and the Caribbean Can Prepare

Dorian Is the New Normal. Here’s How the Bahamas and the Caribbean Can Prepare
The national flag of the Bahamas tied to a sapling, amid the rubble left by Hurricane Dorian in Abaco, Bahamas, Sept. 16, 2019 (AP photo by Ramon Espinosa).

Relief work continues in the Bahamas, as residents of Grand Bahama and the Abacos, two of its northernmost areas, slowly dig out from the rubble left by Dorian, the Category 5 hurricane that struck the country earlier this month. There are already 51 confirmed fatalities, but the death toll is expected to continue rising, as more than 1,300 people are still missing.

A variety of aid groups are still accepting donations, including the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. The National Association of the Bahamas has also set up a hurricane relief fund.

Storms like Dorian are increasingly the new normal for island nations in the Caribbean. For residents of these countries, climate change is no longer an abstract concept; it is an urgent reality that must be addressed. For this week’s interview on Trend Lines, WPR’s Elliot Waldman is joined by Therese Turner-Jones, general manager of the Caribbean country department at the Inter-American Development Bank, to discuss how Caribbean countries can improve their disaster preparedness and climate resilience.

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Relevant Articles on WPR:
Another Hurricane Season Opens, but Caribbean Reconstruction Has Only Begun
Battered by Storms and Exposed to Climate Change, the Caribbean Faces a Daunting Recovery
Facing the Effects of Climate Change, the Caribbean Focuses on Adaptation

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

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