标签： Bahamas

As the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially gets underway, disaster management officials in The Bahamas have acknowledged that while the nation has made meaningful progress in preparedness, it still has not met the international benchmark for emergency shelter capacity to protect residents during major natural disasters. Currently, the country’s 144 public shelters can accommodate approximately 14,000 people, according to Aaron Sargent, Managing Director of the Bahamas Disaster Risk Management Authority (DRM).

Speaking at a press briefing held to mark the start of the season, Sargent noted that 90 of these shelters have already completed mandatory safety inspections, with only three facilities in New Providence still awaiting evaluation. Against the global standard that requires shelter space for 10 percent of a country’s total population, The Bahamas currently falls well short of the target. Sargent emphasized that expanding shelter capacity – particularly in the country’s less developed southern island region – remains a top priority for the government, requiring ongoing infrastructure investment and new construction projects.

The briefing came one day after senior DRM officials, along with Executive Chairman Alex Storr and representatives from multiple government agencies, presented the nation’s full preparedness plan to Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and newly appointed Minister of State for Disaster Risk Management McKell Bonaby. Despite the unmet shelter target, Sargent said the work completed during the low-risk “blue sky” period between hurricane seasons has significantly boosted the country’s ability to mount an effective response to storm events.

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology has forecast a below-average season for 2026, projecting roughly 11 named storms and just one to three hurricanes forming across the Atlantic basin. Sargent tied this milder outlook to the ongoing El Niño weather pattern, which has also driven record-breaking extreme heat across much of the globe this year. Even with the favorable forecast, however, he issued a sharp warning to residents against lowering their guard, stressing that the country’s location within the active Atlantic hurricane belt means a single devastating storm is all it takes to cause widespread destruction across the island chain.

To strengthen local response capacity, the DRM Authority has already completed regional readiness exercises on eight of The Bahamas’ major islands, with a full national disaster drill scheduled for July. The agency is also putting the final touches on a new National Recovery Framework, a document designed to standardize post-disaster relief and reconstruction protocols across all levels of government. Once finalized, the framework will be submitted to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Disaster Risk Management for formal review and approval.

In addition to infrastructure and planning updates, the DRM Authority has invested heavily in workforce training and digital emergency management technology. Earlier this year, DRM officers completed a specialized training program alongside partners including the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, Rhode Island National Guard, and U.S. Northern Command, focused on mastering the WebEOC emergency coordination platform. Sargent explained that the system will dramatically improve cross-agency communication and shared situational awareness between the capital and outlying Family Islands during active disasters, with a full national deployment scheduled for the July readiness exercise.

On the topic of shelter inspections, Sargent noted that the DRM Authority has tightened safety and operational standards since its establishment, and the vast majority of existing shelters already meet the new requirements. One notable milestone is the newly completed disaster shelter in Abaco, which is now fully operational and ready to accept evacuees. The facility already underwent an unplanned stress test during the recent electoral cycle, when local administrators used it as a polling and operations center, and it passed without any issues.

Sargent emphasized that disaster preparedness is not a seasonal task, but a year-round priority, with the DRM Authority continuing to upgrade infrastructure, expand training, and integrate new technology to improve response outcomes. He urged all residents to take proactive steps before the next storm threat emerges: inspecting residential and commercial properties, securing storm shutters and plywood, organizing and protecting critical personal and legal documents, and formalizing family evacuation plans. Members of the public are also encouraged to learn the location of their nearest assigned shelter and take advantage of the resources available through the government’s national hurricane readiness campaign, including a free Hurricane Expo scheduled for June 20 at Marathon Mall, and downloadable preparedness materials available at getready.gov.bs.

Bonaby, who was unable to attend the press briefing, is scheduled to deliver a formal preparedness address to the public across all national news platforms on the same day as the briefing.

Three days after 23-year-old Aljaron Stubbs was gunned down just steps from his Elizabeth home, his grieving girlfriend of five years is opening up about the senseless violence that stole her partner and left her grappling with lifelong trauma. The woman, who has requested anonymity to protect her safety, spoke exclusively to The Tribune, detailing the chaotic moments when bullets began flying and the lasting nightmare that has followed the attack.

The tragedy unfolded shortly before 3 p.m. on a Thursday last week, near the intersection of Antigua Street and Barbados Avenue. On that day, Stubbs—who had been released on bail pending trial for multiple pending charges including conspiracy to murder and murder—had just wrapped up a court appearance. His girlfriend, who was on a lunch break from work, was alongside him as the pair headed toward their home.

When they noticed an unfamiliar vehicle parked near their residence—one that had also been spotted loitering in the area earlier that morning—they made the split-second decision to seek shelter in a nearby neighbor’s yard instead. But their attempt to avoid danger came too late: gunmen traveling in a pale-colored Japanese-made car pulled into the neighborhood and immediately opened fire on the couple.

Stubbs’ girlfriend told reporters she immediately dropped to the ground and began praying as bullets rang out around her. It was only when she stood up moments later to check on Stubbs that she realized the attack had already been fatal. “By the time as I get up and ask him ‘baby, you okay?’ That was it. He was then gone,” she recalled. In the chaos of the shooting, she did not even notice immediately that a bullet had grazed her own back.

In the three days since the murder, the trauma has already upended the young woman’s life. She told reporters she struggles to sleep through the night, constantly woken by vivid nightmares of the attack, and often finds herself reliving the shooting during waking hours. She has stepped away from her job temporarily to focus on processing her grief, describing a constant state of disorientation and anguish in the days after the attack. “In the morning, when it first happened, I felt like I was going crazy,” she said.

The pain of Stubbs’ violent death has hit especially hard, she explained. “I know everybody gotta go one day, but it’s how you go. That’s the part that hurt me. If he had gone to bed and didn’t wake up, I would have felt better,” she said. Stubbs’ relatives have also been unable to process the sudden loss; multiple family members became inconsolable at the crime scene and had to be restrained by responding police officers.

While court records confirm Stubbs faced serious pending charges—including the 2023 murder of Jorge Cuevas and conspiracy to murder Detective Sergeant Raphael Miller, plus additional charges of attempted murder and firearms possession—he had repeatedly denied all allegations. His girlfriend acknowledged that Stubbs was not a perfect man, but insisted he had been working to turn his life around in the months before his death. She also pushed back against constant police scrutiny he faced after his release on bail, noting “Every other week, coming to lock him up and bothering him. Ain’t nobody’s perfect. Everybody’s innocent until proven guilty.”

Before the shooting, the unemployed 23-year-old had been making concrete plans for a new, law-abiding future: he had told his girlfriend he planned to open a car wash business the following month, and purchase three motorbikes to rent out for extra income. The couple was also getting ready to celebrate their sixth relationship anniversary in October, with plans for a professional photo shoot and a weekend of activities to mark the milestone.

The surviving victim says she has left justice for Stubbs’ killers up to a higher power, noting that “every dog got their day.” She said she will deeply miss her partner, whom she described as a quiet, easygoing person who was her safe place. The trauma of the attack has left her convinced she will never be able to form another close romantic bond: “I don’t think I could go in another relationship for as long as I live. I can’t take that,” she said. “I don’t want to get attached to anybody anymore because that was my safe place.”

Looking at old photos of the couple together still reduces her to tears, so she has tried to avoid keeping those mementos out where she will see them. “Every now and then, like looking at our pictures and stuff like that, I try not to look at it, because it just made me break down and cry but, it’s really ain’t easy,” she said.

As of this report, law enforcement has not made any arrests in connection with Stubbs’ murder. According to Tribune records, the killing brings the total number of murders recorded in the country so far this year to 27.

Twenty-one years after Tiffany Smith was brutally murdered by her own husband at the age of 30, her sister Shavonne Munnings is transforming decades of personal grief into a life-changing mission: building a dedicated safe refuge for battered women and children escaping abusive households. Now, the long-time community advocate is renewing her urgent call for public and private support to turn this vision — named Tiffany’s Haven, in honor of her late sibling — into a reality.

Smith’s life ended violently on May 24, 2005, when she was stabbed 26 times, leaving behind four young children. For more than 20 years, Munnings has refused to let her sister’s death fade into silence. Instead of withdrawing into grief, she has marked the anniversary of Smith’s killing every year with candlelight vigils, public educational conferences, and community outreach initiatives designed to shine a spotlight on the pervasive threat of domestic violence across The Bahamas.

This year’s 21st anniversary gathering was hosted at the First Holiness Church of God, bringing together domestic violence survivors, fellow advocates, religious leaders, and local community members for an evening centered on remembrance, awareness, and mutual encouragement. After the formal program, attendees shared hot meals and refreshments, while children in attendance enjoyed activities on a bouncing castle, creating a moment of joy amid a somber occasion.

Munnings, who has personally survived domestic abuse, explained that Tiffany’s Haven is envisioned as more than just a temporary emergency shelter — it will function as a holistic restoration center where women and their children can heal after experiencing violence. “Many women manage to leave abusive relationships, but they have nowhere safe to turn,” she noted. “That gap is why this project is so critical. It will be a space where women can bring their children, find safety, and begin the work of healing and rebuilding their lives.”

Already, Munnings has a detailed plan for the facility’s design and operations, but she requires broad community and donor support to move the project forward. “I’m praying that God brings what I call destiny helpers — people who share this vision of making a tangible difference in the lives of survivors,” she said. “Working together, we can help restore safety and hope to women and children who have lost everything to abuse.”

Recalling the day of her sister’s murder, Munnings shared the heartbreaking details of that afternoon. She received a message shortly before 3 p.m. directing her to go to the local hospital. “I had no idea what had happened when I got the message,” she said. “I heard the ambulance siren first, and I told myself they don’t use sirens for people who are already gone — I held out hope. But when I arrived, everything was silent. That’s when I learned it was my sister, and she was already gone.”

For Munnings, the annual gathering is far more than a memorial: it is a critical warning to women across the country that relationship abuse can turn fatal. “Twenty-one years ago, I lost my sister to domestic violence,” she said. “Instead of letting that tragedy make me bitter, I chose to let it make me more focused on action. I want to enlighten and encourage other women to face the truth: domestic violence is not a private problem, it is a deadly crisis that can claim your life.”

Munnings’ advocacy comes as domestic violence remains one of the most pressing unaddressed social issues in The Bahamas. Recent police statistics show a reported 29 percent drop in documented domestic violence cases, falling from 2,630 incidents in 2024 to 1,859 in 2025. But advocates across the country warn the decline is likely misleading, as the vast majority of abuse incidents are never reported, with many victims trapped in silence out of fear or lack of access to support. That underreporting means the true scale of the crisis remains far larger than official numbers reflect.

For Munnings, supporting children who witness domestic violence is a core part of the mission of Tiffany’s Haven. “When children grow up around violence, it shapes their whole lives,” she explained. “If we can help them heal while their minds are still growing and able to transform, we can break the cycle of violence. Better children grow up to be better adults. That means fewer people trapped in cycles of harm, fewer lives lost, and a stronger future for all our families.”

Fellow domestic violence advocate Hilvana Cash has praised Munnings’ unwavering commitment to keeping the crisis at the forefront of public conversation. “For years, she has been consistent, showing up every single year to push for awareness and change,” Cash said. “Domestic violence does not only harm the person being abused. It ripples out to hurt children, extended families, coworkers, and entire communities. That’s why work like Shavonne’s is so vital.”

Reverend Janet Gray of the First Holiness Church of God also offered her full backing for Munnings’ work and the Tiffany’s Haven project. “Every year she comes here to organize this gathering, she has my complete support,” Gray said. “Domestic violence is an evil thing, and far too many women are forced to suffer in silence. They need to know they can come forward, and they can get the help they need to escape.”

For Munnings, her sister’s memory continues to be the driving force behind every step of her advocacy. “If I can save just one woman, one year at a time, then Tiffany’s death was not for nothing,” she said.

After nearly eight months evading law enforcement, a murder suspect who dramatically escaped court custody has finally been taken back into police custody, closing one of the most high-profile manhunts in recent memory. The capture of D’Angelo Culmer on Thursday also pulled a second local man into legal trouble, who now faces accusations of helping the fugitive avoid detection, alongside additional drug-related charges uncovered during the arrest operation.

The takedown was carried out by elite law enforcement units: officers from the Internal Security Division, the national police department’s SWAT team, intercepted a grey Nissan Note at the intersection of Tonique Williams-Darling Highway and Premiers Avenue shortly before noon Thursday. Inside the vehicle, Culmer was located alongside a 44-year-old local man, and a subsequent search of the car and both occupants yielded a significant drug seizure: one pound and eight ounces of suspected marijuana, stored in a black backpack. Police estimate the seized narcotics has a street value of approximately $3,200.

Both men were immediately taken into custody and formally cautioned in connection with the alleged drug possession offense. Beyond the drug charges, the 44-year-old also faces an additional accusation of harbouring a fugitive for aiding Culmer during his months on the run.

Culmer’s escape originally unfolded on October 2, 2025, when he fled from the Nassau Street Court Complex on South Street around 3:30 p.m. At the time of his escape, he was facing serious criminal charges: one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder connected to a January 31, 2024, shooting incident. Prosecutors allege that Culmer opened fire on a group of people from a moving vehicle on Ragged Island Street that day, leaving 39-year-old Rudiska Bethel dead and two other victims, Carla Bain and Lorenzo Sands, with non-fatal injuries. Culmer had first been arraigned on these charges at the Magistrate’s Court on February 16, 2024.

Culmer’s escape triggered immediate public scrutiny of security protocols at the court complex, prompting an internal investigation into how a high-risk murder suspect was able to slip away from custody. Just one month after the escape, in November 2025, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles confirmed that three serving police officers had been placed under investigation over the security breach. Commissioner Knowles also announced at that time that existing security measures at the court complex had already been upgraded to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

By January 2026, Commissioner Knowles confirmed that the three officers had been referred to an internal police tribunal to face disciplinary proceedings over Culmer’s escape. As of that update, one officer had already been placed on interdiction, and a second was expected to receive the same disciplinary action as the tribunal process moved forward. The current status of these internal disciplinary proceedings has not been updated publicly as of Culmer’s recapture.

On Thursday, disgruntled members of the Bahamas Public Services Union (BPSU) based in Grand Bahama staged a public protest outside the union’s Freeport headquarters, delivering a seven-day ultimatum to BPSU President Kimsley Ferguson to address a cascade of allegations ranging from financial mismanagement to deliberate violations of the union’s constitution.

Dozens of demonstrators assembled outside the BPSU Building just after midday, chanting slogans calling for Ferguson’s ouster as they laid out a series of long-simmering grievances that have split the union’s leadership. Core among the complaints are claims that Ferguson has failed to publish required biannual financial reports stretching all the way back to 2019, left thousands of dollars in mandatory National Insurance Board (NIB) contributions unpaid, and allowed the union’s key properties in both Grand Bahama and New Providence to operate without active insurance coverage.

Latoya Cartwright-Jones, BPSU’s Northern Region Area Vice President, told reporters that Ferguson has stonewalled repeated requests from elected executive board members for months, refusing to initiate consultations or open lines of communication about the mounting concerns. Rank-and-file members and leadership alike are demanding full access to financial records that detail how union dues and funds have been allocated, clarity on why NIB payments remain outstanding years after they were due, and an explanation for the lapsed insurance coverage on union-owned buildings.

“We are not making baseless accusations,” Cartwright-Jones explained. “We are simply asking him to produce receipts for every expenditure, to account for why NIB payments have not been made, and to explain why our properties still do not have insurance coverage. When we raise concerns about misappropriation, we are referring directly to the failure to direct union funds to the mandatory and necessary purposes they were allocated for.”

According to Cartwright-Jones, the seven-day deadline is set under BPSU’s own governing constitution. If Ferguson fails to provide satisfactory responses within the timeframe, she said, the union will move forward with formal disciplinary measures that could include suspension via a general membership vote, removal from office, and mandatory accountability processes for the alleged violations. She also issued a formal call for the Bahamas Ministry of Labour to intervene in the dispute, noting that independent audits of union finances have been pending since 2019.

Anton Michael King, a shop steward representing the Gaming Board, amplified the allegations, claiming that tens of thousands of dollars in employee contributions earmarked for NIB are unaccounted for. He also questioned why the union’s democratically elected treasurer has been blocked from accessing BPSU’s financial records and official bank accounts for multiple years, a direct violation of the union’s standard governance protocols.

King added another serious allegation: that Ferguson failed to renew insurance coverage on union properties even after receiving and depositing an insurance payout for damage to BPSU buildings caused by Hurricane Dorian. “You took the entire insurance check to Nassau,” King said, directly referencing the president’s actions.

Additional shop stewards representing three major government departments echoed these concerns. Taronya Wildgoose of Social Services, Eric Bastian of the Department of Agriculture and Marine Resources, and Athony Francis of the Post Office all outlined their own grievances, including that gas pumps purchased with union funds remain non-operational years after acquisition, that vehicles approved for purchase by the general membership years ago have never been acquired, and that multiple board appointments have been made without the required approval of the BPSU executive board.

“Our members have a fundamental right to answers, to full transparency, and to demand that the union’s constitution is respected at all times,” Bastian said.

The demonstration drew support from leaders of other major Bahamian trade unions, including Bahamas Nurses Union Vice President William Bartlett and Charlice Ellis of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union, both of whom were in attendance to stand with protesting BPSU members.

As of press time, multiple attempts by The Tribune to reach Ferguson for comment on the allegations, including phone calls and written messages, have gone unanswered.