Building supplies headed to devastated islands -Prime Minister Nagamootoo

DPI, GUYANA, Monday, October 2, 2017

The Ministerial Task Force overseeing the provision of aid to hurricane-ravaged islands is gearing up to donate lumber and other materials. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, speaking to media operatives, said that he wrote Minister of State Joseph Harmon on the situation and a meeting will be held this week with the Civil Defense Commission on the way forward.

The Prime Minister stated that at the moment, the government has over 10 containers packed with supplies for the affected countries. He explained that “we are trying to achieve 20 containers for the shipment of 300 tones lumber and other hardware which cannot go in planes”.

The Prime Minister also took the time to refute reports that thousands of Guyanese want to return home. He explained that to the contrary, persons are opting to rebuild and that the government is assisting with this process.

“We should not have any panic and any over exaggerated report that thousands and thousands of people are about to come to Guyana. No! Everyone who lives in a state and has been devastated, their first obligation is that they want to rebuild and that is something that we encourage among Caribbean people, to rebuild and to restart their lives. We are going to be there to help as much as we can”, he stated.

Additionally, the Prime Minister said the government is lending assistance to a family who is desirous of having their relative returned to Guyana for burial. This, he said, is one of the current priorities of the task force.

However, the Prime Minister noted that charity begins at home and as such, government is also paying attention and assisting regions in the country that were affected by floods and heavy winds.

Recently, several islands in the Caribbean, including Barbuda, Dominica, St Maarten, Tortola, BVI and Puerto Rico were devastated by Hurricanes Maria and Irma.

By: Isaiah Braithwaite