NASSAU, The Bahamas – Captain Stephen Russell, Director of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, says the new state-of-the-art headquarters on Gladstone Road will be occupied early next year.
He made the statement while touring the construction site, along with the Hon Neko Grant, Minister of Public Works and officials of the ministry, on Wednesday, March 30, 2011.
“By the looks of the building, he (contractor) is progressing extremely well. We expect the building to be completed by September of this year,” said Mr. Grant.
Construction commenced January 2011. Captain Russell said he is pleased with the construction progress and that the building should be ready for occupation in September, the height of the hurricane season. However, he will delay the move to next year.
“We will ride out the season where we are in the Cabinet building downtown and at the beginning of 2012 we will definitely be ready to occupy this building,” he said.
The Government awarded a $1.7 million contract to Ran Mar Precision Development Company to construct NEMA’s new National Emergency Operations Centre. The scope of works include a single-storey building of approximately 6,981 square feet to provide office accommodations for about 20 personnel who will work on a 24-hour basis to manage any disaster facing the country.
The building will also be outfitted with overnight emergency sleeping quarters – shower/bath and kitchen facilities, and a fully equipped media and communications centre.
On the compound is a service building to house storage water tanks, electrical equipment and a back-up generator. The construction is in keeping with the country’s building code and to withstand maximum hurricane force winds, and any other disasters.
Capt Russell said that Gladstone Road is “an ideal location for NEMA, as Bay Street is in the coastal area which is prone to flooding. We want to make sure we have access to the operations centre at all times.”
By Lindsay Thompson
Bahamas Information Services
