Extending support to victims of Hurricane Beryl, the local government has announced the donation of 1 Million EC dollars to each severely affected island. At his most recent monthly press conference, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit encouraged assisting those countries as an obligation, highlighting the relevance of reciprocating support.
He expressed, “I believe we have a duty, an obligation, both moral and ethical to stand in solidarity with those affected as they did for us on so many countless occasions in the recent past.”
Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Carriacou Grenada, on July 1, as a Category 5 hurricane with winds raging up to 165 mph, destroying the habitat completely. Its destruction proceeded to impact other islands in its north-western path with crucial damage happening in Petite Martinique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica, and Barbados.
The Grenadian territories of Carriacou and Petite Martinique suffered damage of 70% and 97% of their infrastructure respectively. Jamaica’s Agricultural Minister on the other hand reported a loss of 6.4 Million dollars in crops on his island, resulting in food shortages. Ninety percent of houses in Saint Vincent were affected prompting the evacuation of 1,362 people within the first week post-Hurricane Beryl.
Additionally, the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit reminded everyone at the press conference of the region’s collective responsibility as it relates to climate change. “We no longer have the luxury of sitting idly by as mere observers, the time for climate action is now, and this government will intensify its efforts to build resilience and rally more decisive and impactful actions from the developed countries who should bear the bulk of the responsibility for the climate crisis,” He stated.
Honourable Skerrit is expected to meet with Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Hon. Ralph Gonsalves today, July 16, to tour the devastation of Hurricane Beryl on the island. This comes a week after his visit to Grenada on Tuesday, July 9.
it is interesting to know that this government has surplus cash to give to disaster struck countries ! While am still awaiting payment for two projects I did in castle comfort clearing slides in 2015 , after tropical storm Erica .
Am awaiting payment for over a month night and day usage of my four ton truck after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Am also Awaiting payment for work done with JCB 145 excavator on the delices playing field in February and March 2019($43,000.00 ) . my bill was presented on April 4th 2019 .
Am also awaiting payment for work done on the laplane road with JCB 145 excavator in 2019 . To this day I haven’t gotten a cent . After this things became so bad, frustrating and depressing for me . I practically gave away the truck ! The machines are all over rotting ! Nevertheless with the help of God am able to employ myself in the line of construction my two hands have given up . at present I have to use one hand to lift the other. but am still trying .
I am 100% for helping those affected by hurricane Beryl. I would be a fool not too. Those countries helped us when we were in need. Let’s reciprocate the help. It’s a good gesture. That’s fantastic. My problem though is, why can’t we find money just as quickly to take care of the country’s needs? Look at the state of Roseau. It’s a CARICOM embarrassment. My God what a dilapidated capital. I won’t expound on the foul stench.Why can’t this regime find the money to supply drugs to the major hospitals and health clinics? To pay those who have retired and are on a waiting long for extended periods? It’s easy to find money to do those things. Why do we have arguably the largest cabinet in the world? What are the so called ministers being paid to do? Why do poor people have to pay you XCD$64000.00 a month? Isnt that wickedness?Why useful money resources are being given/doled away to young people who are not contributing anything to the national purse?The list is endless, but i will…
Its perfectly fine to feed the neighbour in need.
Its wicked to tell your Kids there’s no food while you are finding feed for the neighbour’s kids.
Please Mr. PM, give public servants a 20% raise. They deserve it. Dont take any raíse this time because it wasn’t long ago that you took a raise of more than 20% for yourself and more that 15% for the ministers. Not only election time we dos hungry.
20% 20% 20%.
That’s the problem we have in Dominica, too many greedy and selfish people. We only want to receive, but when it comes to giving with a loving heart we hide and give excuses.
Please do not wait for the Hampstead Bridge to wash away some lives, some innocent citizen to fall under the Anse -du-mai bridge; The Blenheim bridge is too close to vielle case to be invisible. let us accomplish tangible recovery from aging, dangerous and damaged infrastructures before we have to beg for the same money that we are dishing out ‘in good faith.’
This is a man that has taken our jobs and gave them to foreigners while our young people are roaming the streets like Paros. A man that only knows us when he needs us to vote for him. Yet he can give a million dollars to each of the islands that got destroyed by hurricane but can’t see that we broke, our mama broke, our papa broke, our teachers broke, all of us broke but instead of creating work for us, he’s enslaved us so we could always look to him and must vote for him less he takes his apartment from us.
Absolutely nothing wrong with helping our brothers and sisters that need our help. But Mr Skerrrit you ought to put your people first! You causing your people to die of stress because you making their lives miserable. Help Dominicans first . As a child I was taught that charity begins at home
Tell the “people” to live within their means. They are all in a race to see who has the fanciest SUV, latest Iphone, biggest fake gold chain, most complete Lacoste wardrobe, most trips abroad, etc, etc. They all want to live above their means. You cannot dig a hole for yourself and then blame Skerrit for your suffering and downfall.
In times of disaster, water, none perishable food items, toiletries, clothes, sanitary items, building materials, tarpaulin, are usually donated to the affected countries. Governments usually refrain from gives other governments direct money. Reason? It is a known fact that the money given doesn’t reach the victims it is intended for. It is stolen, misused, or get lost in bureaucratic red bundling.
The charity of an English gentle donated US $1 000 000 to Antiguan government to help rebuild Barbuda since 2017. To this day, the Barbudans haven’t even received as much as one cent.
So.many things needed to be done in Dominica – generators, medical supplies, roads, repairs to publish edifices, pension payments, retired’ gratuity payments, etc. Just to grab headlines, Roosevelt ignores the suffering of the indigenous people. WICKED!!
So PM is going to give each country that got damaged EC 1 million dollars? That’s not clear as to which country will be considered severely damaged, which means only the PM will determine the severely damaged countries. I don’t like that PM because that is like giving you a blank cheque. Why not tell us that Dominica will be giving 3 million to be distributed among the three hardest hit? So now you can say you gave Grenada 1 million, St Vincent 1 million, Jamaica 1 million, Barbados 1 million, even if no one got a million and we already know the accountability problem we have in the región.
Well, I will go by the hyenas concept of maths, I will conclude that about 5 million will depart from Dominica but no more than 10% or EC$ 500,000 will go to those affected countries and the other 90%will go to our local and internacional hyenas
So is Wicked all you wicked. Can’t pay People , Can’t fix the Delices to Petite Savanne road, can’t pay NEP workers , can’t buy Generator for Domlec . To those who have more will be added unto them and to those who do not have even what they have will be taken away from them. You get what you deserve!!!
It’s easier for me to believe that government is going to make a few millions to legally disappear on the name of huricaine contribution. Going by the way this cabal operatives as reminded by Aljazera, we already know is 90% of the slides amount is theirs and 10% for each of the affected Island. Gason instead of telling us each affected Island will get a million dollars please call each Island by name, even if we already know is a lie
Hold on nuh we have money to give man? Ok so lets start fixing the bayfront and other areas that need to fix asap. Lets stop waiting for creole fest and Carnival to actually fix things in the country, only because we expecting visitors.
I understand the need to assist. But 1 Million dollars and it still have people that cannot fix their roof from since 2017… Send the able bodied- unemployed youth ro help rebuild or something man.. tired spend money we doh have.
@ PRO not only that, it’s just something else when you hear about the number of people/businesses that the governmentt has been owning for a long time now and they cannot get paid.
To me this is just an unnecessary show!!
But then again, I keep thinking, Dominica PLEDGED ….. let’s see if and when we’ll live up to that PLEDGE