Finding adequate shelters a challenge as 2018 Hurricane Season looms

Officials are expressing concerns that finding adequate shelters is proving to be a challenge for the 2018 Hurricane Season which begins mere weeks from now.

Acting local Government Commissioner, Glenroy Toussaint has said over 50 percent of shelters were damaged by Hurricane Maria last September and Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has appealed to citizens with private homes to utilize them as hurricane shelters.

“We have gone through the process of doing an assessment with all the shelters that we had for the 2017 season, and of course based on that assessment, recognize almost 50 percent of the shelters, well more than that, were impacted,” Toussaint said.

He said that some of the shelters were either destroyed or damaged, “so that in itself poses a serious challenge for us in the 2018 season in finding suitable shelters.”

He went on to say that repairs were needed on some of the damaged shelters.

“We have not been able to complete those repairs on some of them and so we have to leave them out for the 2018 season,” Toussaint stated.

He pointed out that the process of identifying shelters continues and a list for the Hurricane Season will soon be published.

Meantime, Skerrit said some communities do not have adequate shelters for the season and has appealed to the public for assistance.

“We are appealing to the general public, citizens with private homes, to avail themselves of the opportunity for us to engage you in utilizing your private homes as Hurricane Shelters,” he stated last week.

He said he has offered his own home as a Hurricane Shelter.

“I can say publicly that as I have offered my private home in my constituency as a Hurricane Shelter and we will put in place all of the necessary arrangements in the event that my fellow villagers would require a safer place to see the hurricane through, so we call on the rest of Dominica to do likewise,” he said.

The Hurricane Season begins on June 1 and stretches through to November.

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19 Comments

  1. John Woolman
    May 16, 2018

    It would be nice if they took the empty shipping containers stacking up near the port – and put a couple in each village for emergency emergency shelters.

  2. Zandoli
    May 16, 2018

    What does this government consider to be a shelter? Anything with a roof over it?
    Skerrit has been making all kinds of promises to people to ensue he remains in power, but the things he needs to do to keep people safe, he is not doing.

    Many of the buildings they designate as shelters were never designed to be hurricane resistant. Many, such as churches, are just large buildings, but they are not necessarily safe buildings. Yet we have a dumb set of supporters who fail to see the big picture and keep voting this guy into office just because he pretends to care. What will it take to make our people finally see the light?

  3. Audrey George
    May 15, 2018

    Prime Minister skeritt, Cmon man, when are you going to prioritize what is really important for the people of Dominica instead of focusing on filling your already full pockets and how you can remain in power at the expense of the people. These are people lives you are putting at risk. It was more important to elect Isaac, to shuffle your ministry, to have red day and all these small minded crap you post just to get love than focusing on handling something so important in a time sensitive manner. You now making a comment about shelters two weeks before hurricane season? It’s sickening to me that two weeks before hurricane season you coming up with some BS bout run by their neighbors house to shelter. The neighbors house don’t even have roof like theirs.The neighbors don’t have enough food stored to share, one pound of smoke chicken they have. Are you kidding me. Crazy

  4. roosy turning in his grave
    May 15, 2018

    if rebuilding will take a while yall dont know you shouldve invested in proper hurricane shelters as soon as you start recieving money and begin to prepare for the coming storms?
    cause lets face it, the govt money wasnt being spent of relief supplies. they all came from foriegn. people even coming to build houses for citizens
    the monies they getting were supposed to be put into better planning and hurricane shelters and preparedness for next month. but no, they were sharing it around again.
    i am so ashamed of my country.

  5. RED DAY!!!
    May 15, 2018

    In life there are two ways to learn 1. By what we hear or 2. By what we feel. Dominicans don’t seem to be learning at all so they have to keep feeling. What will it take to see Skerrit doesn’t care a damn about all you? You keep voting him to keep all you poor and in miseery while his family is safe & happy in NY. . The man has 15 seats to push anything in paliament but somehow paying Judas Iscariot large sum of money to cross the floor and, creating a ministry for him was more important than protecting my family that are laborites for the 2018 hurricane season. It’s an emergency why play politics? Look at the amount he gave to laborites in the name of farmers; why didn’t he ensure the people had a place to run to shelter a rain first? Every damn move he takes is political and my people not seeing it. Keep voting Skerrit but the day will come when you all will see he never cared. He just decieving all you to get what he wants, just as a man tricking a woman to get what he…

  6. notinterestedintheleast soft drink
    May 15, 2018

    finding ? but all you people are a set of morons mixed with idiots man? After what we went through, you want to go and find? shelters? man we should be building hurricane proof shelters in select areas that have natural wind breaks and away from floods and landslide prone areas. a month away from the season, and you only now want to look to see what you find? utter complete nonsense. All those building materials you have littering our local playing fields with playing politics with, CREATE HURRICANE PROOF SHELTERS FOUR YOUR COMMUNITIES!. Stop doing the bare minimum and acting like it is good enough for those less fortunate.

    • notinterestedintheleast soft drink
      May 15, 2018

      FOR* not FOUR…

  7. Shaka Zulu
    May 15, 2018

    The Government and everyone knows that the rebuilding of Dominica will take years. That includes homes and infrastructure. We also all knew that after Maria the hurricane season was nine months away with the peak 11 months away. One of the first thing that should have been repaired were the shelters so those who do not have a place by time next season rolls around could get to a solid shelter. Hurricane season is every year and we behave like is now we knew it would be back. Why not give incentives to people who hurricane proof thier homes so they can use as shelters. A country cannot be runned on charity and scrumbs. As the old parable say who dont hear will feel. From 2015 to 2017 over 100 citizens have lost thier lives due to lack of preparation. Ignorance and stupidity kills and people need to make it thier responsibility to secure themselves. Stop waiting on this government and others incharge. We have enough history to see they are a waste of time.

    • notinterestedintheleast soft drink
      May 15, 2018

      the incentive was the duty free on building material.

  8. Hurricane Skerrit
    May 15, 2018

    The prime minister has failed us big time! Did he not know we have a hurricane season every year 1st of May? I agree Maria dealt us a very bad blow and many of our shelters were either destroyed or badly damaged. But what has he done since Maria? Did he take any step to ensure at least each village has a shelter? No because that was not important to him because our well being has never been important to him. The truth is, since Maria Skerrit has only taken political decisions to make him stronger and to HELL with the people. Getting Joseph Issac on board was important to him, so he got him and I do believe it was of a great cost. Reshuffle his cabinet to accommodate Isaac was done and again I believe at a cost. Organizing for a RED Day in Grandbaby on the 19, was important and of tremendous cost, but he did it. Protecting lives is not important to him so to hell with all of you as long as his family is safe no matter where they are and he too will be safe. I hope we not too blind

  9. Just saying
    May 15, 2018

    I hope he opens up his homes too!!

    • smh
      May 15, 2018

      Did you actually read the article?

  10. Ambrosia
    May 15, 2018

    That’s because not enough work here is being done. it’s 8 months since Maria. Don’t expect everything to be done yes but there’s a lot more room for improvement. The roads are deteriorating as well and people lives are at risk! Not because we citizens seems comfortable doesn’t mean that we are. I’m very disaapointed.

    • notinterestedintheleast soft drink
      May 16, 2018

      we are too concerned with partying. Carnival, jazz… next is creole fest. all we care about is the next outfit and selfie opportunity.

  11. Dominica to de Bone
    May 15, 2018

    Why the government did not concentrated on buildings emergency shelters all over Dominican as a priority. …

  12. Ibo France
    May 15, 2018

    We all know that preparations for the hurricane season is an annul task. This should have been one of the priorities of government, repairs to as many shelters as humanly possible. The country sadly lacks visionary leadership and this is indisputable. To accomplish much more than what has been achieved at present, the government needs to be more inclusive. Political immaturity is the antithesis to progress in Dominica.

  13. Jonathan Y St Jean
    May 15, 2018

    The government has fallen asleep at the wheel again. With two weeks left before the start of this year’s hurricane season, an event which occurs at the same time every year, I would have thought that with so many government ministers in place that better and more timely arrangements would have been in place. This is proof that this is a lazy and incompetent administration. For starters Skerritt, the one man decider, has too much on his plate. Maybe it would serve the country better to appoint school children as ministers just to occupy the position and it would cost the treasury less for the same results. Joseph Isaac can’t make a difference despite his loud pronouncements.

    • Dominican Passports
      May 15, 2018

      Too many cooks will spoil de soup

  14. Roger
    May 15, 2018

    The same people he is asking for assistance are the same people they are victimizing with their building supplies and other much needed help. Only in Dominica!

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