To bolster Disaster Risk Management (DRM) efforts, the Government of The Bahamas enacted the Disaster Risk Management Act in 2022 (DRM Act). This legislative move signifies a significant shift towards focusing on disaster risk over post-event responses. The objective is to streamline functions and eliminate redundancy among key entities—the Disaster Management Unit under the Office of the Prime Minister, National Emergency Management Agency, and the Disaster Reconstruction Authority. These entities are merged into a singular body, the Disaster Risk Management Authority, aligning with the new mandate.
The DRM Authority assumes a pivotal role as the coordinator for disaster and climate risk management in The Bahamas. To ensure the effective execution of its responsibilities amid the challenges posed by climate change and other external factors, the new DRM Authority requires strong organizational structure and operational procedures to ensure it remains financially viable and has capacity to fulfill its mandate,
In April 2023, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) commissioned Momentus Global to conduct an Institutional Capacity Assessment of the Government of The Bahamas to Effectively Implement the Mandates of the New Disaster Risk Management, with IRMA/Lezlie Morinière as Team leader and Marilise Turnbull as Institutional capacity strengthening specialist.
