In accordance with the strategic intent of the Commander Defence Force, Commodore Raymond King, approximately forty-two (42) marines and ten (10) civilians from various ministries including the Ministry of Works, Bahamas Telecommunications Company and Water and Sewage, recently completed the Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) Course conducted by NEMA and USAID.Participants of the course were divided into two training phases at HMBS Coral Harbour: May 25th-27th, 2022, and July 20th-22nd, 2022. The course mainly focused on improving the skills of men and women deployed nationally or regionally during times of disaster. It also enhanced the skills of marines and civilians by allowing them to identify and plan necessary steps to take while in a field scenario during natural disasters. Captain Stephen Russell, Director NEMA, Mrs. Gayle Outten-Moncur, Director (Acting) NEMA and staff hosted the course which was taught by Mrs. Lisa E. Bowleg, MSW Training Coordinator NEMA, Ms. Ann Jean Baptiste, Disaster Risk Management Specialist USAID/BHA, and their staff.Participants from the Base Civil Construction Maintenance Unit (BCCMU), Engineering Department, Disaster Risk Management, Safety Stores, and Technical Stores of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force learned their primary and secondary DANA responsibilities when being deployed. Important topics included Teamwork and DANA, Organizational and Logistics Assessment, Data Gathering, Analysing and Interpreting Needs, Event Impact Measurements, Risk Management, and Priority Setting. Following completion of the DANA course, participants were able to use the procedures learnt to collect data, determine priority needs, and propose actions by establishing criteria, as well as prepare a DANA report using the suggested formats. Damage assessment is carried out during the response stage in disaster management to ensure that key agents are aware of the various issues and needs of the population following a disaster.Captain Glenn Mcphee, Captain of Coral Harbour, delivered brief remarks during the closing ceremony on July 22nd, 2022, congratulating the participants on their accomplishment and thanking NEMA and USAID/BHA course instructors for sharing their wealth of knowledge. Mr. Bradly King, Training and Disaster Management Officer of the Department of Public Works, Commander Kenneth Forbes, BCCMU’s Commanding Officer, Commander Sonia Miller, Commanding Officer of Disaster Risk Management, and Sub Lieutenant Renaldo Wilkinson, BCCMU’s Executive Officer, were also in attendance. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force will remain diligent in preparation for the hurricane season through collaborative efforts with various government agencies with strategic goals and objectives.
