Assessments still being carried out, says Abrahams

Minister of Home Affairs, Wilfred Abrahams, says assessments are still being conducted and the overall cost of the damage caused by the passage of Hurricane Elsa is not yet known.

He stated this while speaking on the sidelines of yesterday’s thanksgiving service at the Cathedral Church of Jerusalem in Ealing Grove, Christ Church. Minister of Environment and National Beautification, Adrian Forde and Member of Parliament for Christ Church South, Ralph Thorne, were also present at this service.

Some 73 people from constituencies including Christ Church South, Christ Church East, St. Michael South East, St. Michael South Central and the City of Bridgetown are presently being housed at the property owned by this Spiritual Baptist church. Their homes were damaged during the July 2nd hurricane.

“As you know, a lot of houses were damaged. You are still getting reports back in as people get their electricity back and as they get back on Wi-Fi. We are still getting reports, so the assessments are being done. As we speak, there are teams that are actually out today, Sunday, doing assessments, so the figure is going to come shortly.”

He continued, “But I can tell you that it is going to be a staggering figure if you think that over 150 houses were completely destroyed and we had reports of over two or three thousand houses that have been impacted. If you even try to put a minimal cost to each one, it is going to be up there in the millions.”

Speaking about the work Government is doing to assist those who have been displaced to return to their homes, Abrahams said full-scale “rebuilding has not started, but we are well on the way”. He said from as early as this week, members of the public “should start to see areas being cleared and houses starting to be rebuilt”. He further stated, “The repair work to a number of houses has been done. So the easy fix ones we have started to do some of those.”

He also defended Government’s decision to assist persons. He stated, “It is Government’s responsibility to help those who can’t help themselves and lot of the most vulnerable housing stock we had in Barbados [belong to] the persons who are below the poverty line or are on the bottom end of the economic scale and if they cannot help themselves, any responsible government has to step up to the plate and assist them to get back on the track.” (MG)