NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell Wednesday applauded the cross government collaborations in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

Minister Campbell also paid tribute to the many individual and non-governmental local, regional and international donors and partners who offered assistance in the wake of the monster storm.

Minister Campbell said the Ministry was called upon to manage up to 15 shelters throughout The Bahamas, including ten in New Providence, in the aftermath of the Hurricane. He commended those institutions that: “allowed us to use their facilities here in New Providence.”

These included: All Saints Anglican Church, the Salvation Army, Enoch Backford Memorial Gymnasium, Bahamas Academy Gym, Pilgrim Baptist Church, Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium, Calvary Haitian Baptist Church, Grants Town Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the Fox Hill Community Centre.

“We were very fortunate to have use of these facilities and let me say that none of these facilities were purposefully built for the amount of persons and the duration that we needed use of them.”

Minister Campbell said of the shelters mentioned, just one  -- Bahamas Academy Gymnasium -- remains operational. The Kendal G.L. Isaacs Gymnasium closed its doors as a shelter February 15.

“I want to thank Minister Lanisha Rolle and her team at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture who facilitated us and did everything they could to make those persons (sheltered at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium) as comfortable as could be under the circumstances,” Minister Campbell said.

“I was also pleased with the assistance from the Ministry of Health which set up clinics in each of those shelters and had nurses on duty around-the-clock; had doctors visiting every day while some persons attempted to be mischievous through social media by suggesting that there was an epidemic here and there.  Those groups of professionals ensured that was not so. I thank Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Duane Sands, and his team for their efforts.

“I also want to thank Minister of Education, the Hon. Jeff Lloyd and his team at the Ministry of Education who partnered with us to ensure that we were able to observe the laws of this land that all children of school age will be in school. The ministry also assisted us with assessments, with processing the necessary documentation, and where there was the absence of necessary documentation, we did what was necessary and all of the children were in school.”

Minister Campbell told House Members that assistance also “poured in” from local, non-governmental organizations and regional and international bodies.

“Persons poured in to give assistance -- even from outside of the country – and I understand and appreciate, particularly in the beginning, that there was some level of frustration because persons who were presenting themselves to assist found themselves interviewed, found themselves being asked some questions, but we have a duty -- even in the face of a disaster -- to ensure that persons who are offering assistance, are both able to, and sincere with the assistance that they are offering.

“We have heard stories where in the midst of these incidents, two groups of persons come forward, missionaries and mercenaries. We have a duty to receive the missionaries, and protect our people from the mercenaries,” Minister Campbell added.