The government intensified efforts on Saturday to ship food supplies into Grand Bahama because food stores there are finding it hard to keep up with the demand, particularly because of shipping delays associated with Hurricane Ivan.
The Port of Miami has been closed at intervals because of the hurricane.
Running water, meanwhile, has been restored to all areas of Grand Bahama, but the government is continuing to ship drinking water to that island which was devastated by Hurricane Frances, Prime Minister Perry Christie said Sunday.
The prime minister also announced that the Grand Bahama Port Authority is working assiduously to bring food supplies to residents in need. The Port will be bringing a trailer load of food several times over the next few days, he said.
ﾓThey wanted to do it for seven consecutive days, but theyﾴre saying the demand cannot be met,ﾒ the prime minister said.
A barge of food also arrived in Grand Bahama Sunday through a corporate donor, he announced.
Mr. Christie said specific and careful attention is being placed on the distribution of these items to ensure that the process is fair.
In an attempt to ensure fairness, he said, the governmentﾴs National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), dispatched 40 defence force officers to Grand Bahama.
ﾓ[They] were sent to Grand Bahama to guarantee as much as one can, rigid control over distribution,ﾒ Mr. Christie said. ﾓObviously, there are lapses and obviously some people are concernedﾅso very clearly, in an operation of this kind, we try to work out the kinks.ﾒ
He said the other islands affected by the hurricane are also receiving the necessary attention.
ﾓWe do understand that when you are appearing to focus predominantly on one major island, a lot of other islands and smaller communities feel that you are not doing enough for them,ﾒ the prime minister said.
ﾓBut I think it is fair to say that [we] are satisfied that [we are] reaching all of the affected communities with a regular supply of their needs.ﾒ
He said by Monday, he will ﾓhammer outﾒ the necessary provisions of a programme to be presented to Cabinet on Tuesday morning for repairs to begin in accordance with the greatest need in the country.
ﾓWe must learn from the delays that have been attendant with other efforts and we must move very quickly to try to bring relief to people,ﾒ Prime Minister Christie said.
He added, ﾓWherever we can, we have allowed and encouraged those who are here in our country as investors to contribute liberally to our cause, whether itﾴs in the form of money, goods or services.ﾒ
Mr. Christie said Kerzner International, the largest private employer in the country, has offered to assist in hurricane relief efforts and details of that assistance will soon be finalized.
Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
