Disaster Reconstruction Authority
Restoring Bahamian Communities by Building Back Better!
We are the DRA and our mission is simple: to restore Bahamian communities devastated by natural disasters. Essentially, we are a government-sponsored not-for-profit organization. Like a charity, we cannot carry out our work without donations. We cannot help disaster-ravaged people without support from generous donors, foundations, the business community, NGOs, and other nonprofits. But because our administrative and overhead costs are 100% covered by The Bahamas government, every donor dollar goes on the ground to fund post-disaster recovery and reconstruction to help people experiencing the most traumatic and catastrophic event they may ever face.
We partner with government agencies, local government, NGOs, corporates, and civil society to bring relief and support to the community to help them recover after a disaster-event.
WE DON’T JUST REBUILD. WE BUILD BACK BETTER.
Our approach to disaster recovery and reconstruction is based on the internationally accepted Build Back Better (BBB) framework.
Using the Build Back Better process helps us make communities stronger after a disaster. Because our goal isn’t to just rebuild what was damaged and return the community to the way it was before. We go beyond that. We use the disaster recovery and reconstruction process as an opportunity to improve conditions, make the community stronger and create a more resilient future.
Disaster Reconstruction Authority
Who We Are
We support disaster recovery on both the individual and community level. Learn about available disaster recovery support, advice, and services:
Our Values
Our values govern how we behave as we go about our work of helping people and our country rebuild after disasters. The values that shape how we work are:
Transparency
Disaster victims and the donors who support them during the dark days after a tragedy deserve to know what we do with the resources entrusted to us. We are committed to transparency in our business practices and decision-making and will always report openly and truthfully about our activities and expenditures.
Compassion
The people we serve have already been battered by a disaster. We don’t want to inflict more wounds by being insensitive or harsh in how we treat them when they turn to us. We vow to handle all disaster victims with dignity and compassion.
Commitment
Rebuilding what has been lost in a disaster zone takes time. There are no quick fixes. Once we’ve been mobilized and empowered to respond, we remain committed to helping the affected community fully recover.
Efficiency
Our donors – whether they’re governments, NGOs, corporations, foundations, or individuals – make our work possible. We owe it to them and the disaster-impacted people we serve to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. We promise to use those resources in the most efficient way possible so that they can benefit as many as possible.
Responsiveness
Rapid response is critical in disaster management, recovery, and reconstruction. It can mean the difference between life and death. Our goal is always to be ready to respond. To us, that means having a solid plan and the necessary systems in place before a disaster strikes so that we can mobilize and bring normalcy back to disaster-ravaged communities more quickly.
Resilience
Because of the impacts of climate change, natural disasters will continue to increase in frequency and intensity. As the planet steps up its response, we are committed to stepping up ours. With each disaster event we face, we will take away and implement the lessons learned, improving standards, refining processes, reducing impact, and ultimately making our communities and country more resilient.
Teamwork
The scale of the work we are mandated to accomplish is massive. Execution takes teamwork and collaboration. That collaboration might involve working shoulder-to-shoulder with our DRA colleagues, side by side with self-sacrificing volunteers, or partnering with dedicated NGOs. We value collaboration and teamwork because we cannot be effective for our fellow citizens unless we all work together.