Case Studies

Case studies promoting collective experiences seeking to strengthen community-led approach within public health emergency response

Operating a feedback hotline in the Bahamas

Description

Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas on the 1st of September, 2019. It was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes to make landfall in history, rivalled only by the 1934 “Labor Day“ hurricane. While the Ba-hamas has over 700 islands, the hur-ricane significantly impacted the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama and the surrounding Cays. According to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Dorian left around 15,000 in need of food or shelter, with an estimate of 5,000 people evacuating to Nassau from the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama.

From the onset of the disaster, the Bahamas Red Cross Society (BRCS) has been in the forefront of the response on the ground with the support of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) through its Hurricane Dorian Emergency Appeal.

This case study presents the process of establishing and operating a feedback hotline that was undertaken by the BRCS and the IFRC to support operational community engagement and accountability (CEA) efforts in The Bahamas. The hotline has been in service since early October 2019. It has evolved into a vital information and communications channel of the operation´s integrated feedback mechanism.

The case study aims to provide other Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies with best practices and lessons learned from the operational process. The hotline´s associated tools and material were designed and tailored based on the country-specific context, and, therefore, may not be the most appropriate and relevant solutions for other National Societies operating in different contexts. However, it has proven to be useful to explore options and possibilities when undertaking a process towards the same goal of operating a well-functioning hotline as part of a bigger feedback mechanism.

This case study is available in English on the Community Engagement Hub

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DETAILS

Organisation

Bahamas Red Cross

Emergency

COVID-19, Cyclone, Disaster

Region

Keywords

Bahamas, Caribbean