As we mark the anniversary of Hurricane Dorian and Bahamians prepare for another hurricane season, we’ve revised these Quick Facts to include updated information on both recovery efforts and the challenges of COVID-19.

Hurricane Dorian was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record — and the strongest hurricane to have ever hit The Bahamas.

Dorian hit The Bahamas on September 1, 2019 as a Category 5 hurricane, causing flooding and mass destruction on the northwest islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. The storm pummeled Grand Bahama Islands for 48 long hours before finally moving away from the islands.

According to the Inter-American Development Bank, Dorian caused about $3.4 billion in damages, which is equal to one-quarter of The Bahamas’ GDP.

The current death toll stands at 74 people, with 63 from Abaco and 22 from Grand Bahama, although 245 people are still missing a year later. In addition to the loss of lives, 29,500 people are homeless and/or jobless. Now, with the added crisis of COVID-19 and another hurricane season beginning, the islands’ recovery efforts are adapting to the new normal of 2020.

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#Gene Welch, Managing Director for Raytheon Technologies Intelligence & Space’s Air Traffic Control systems, told The Tribune that the multi-billion dollar U.S. giant was “eager” to conclude a strategic alliance with Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN) having previously validated BACSWN’s Intellectual Property Designs relating to its proposed “First-of-its-Kind” Aviation, Aeronautical, Climate, Marine, Meteorological, Navigation and hyper local 3D Terrain, Street, Chart and Weather Sensing Network. (‘WxSenseNet’)

#Describing the $427M project as “quite a vision” Mr. Welch stated that BACSWN will transform the Bahamas’ ability to “sense, tracking, predict and enable the creation 3D Impact based simulations of monster storms such as Hurricane Dorian”. Not to mention, improve upon the accuracy and timeliness of ‘eAlerts’ or need for evacuation orders.

#“ On behalf of our entire team, I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Prime Minister, DPM, Council of Ministers and Raytheon Technologies for their unequivocal support of such an ambitious undertaking” shared Mrs. Eileen Dupuch-Carron, CMG, Executive Chairman of Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN)

#“It would be remiss if I did not also convey our gratitude to the Cabinet Select Committee tasked with responsibility for negotiating BACSWN’s Heads of Agreement for their overwhelming endorsement of the project’s goals, unparalleled capabilities and myriad of ancillary benefits,” continued Mrs. Dupuch-Carron

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Lyrone Burrows, president and chief executive officer of BACSWN, told Tribune Business that their company will be able to put airlines in position to create carbon credits through their path-breaking weather monitoring technology. 

And the company has caught the attention of project scientist Roelof Bruintjes, who stressed the importance of the field that the company is pioneering.

He said of the company’s work: “I was very impressed… primarily because this took weather forecasting and early warning systems to a next step, especially as it pertained to aviation and making aviation safer – but also in terms of all the displays and all the technology that is required for doing a proper job in terms of aviation safety. And then both after safety comes efficiency. How can we most efficiently help aviation and this is what the airlines want also. That impressed me tremendously.”

He added: “And this goes into climate change also. The more efficient and the more safer we work, the less we waste things and fuel, and the better it is for the climate.”

Mr Burrows said: “Based on the discussions we had with the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) last week and we asked them based on their knowledge and how those credits would accrue, and they indicated what we had anticipated, which is that the credits if there are any created will be owned by the airlines utilising our technology.” 

He continued: “Once we are able to confirm and show by virtue of our technology that the airlines would be able to derive carbon credits, what we can actually do is price that with a discount into the cost of our technology.”

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