The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Emergency Management Agency Director Captain Stephen Russell yesterday said while repair efforts are underway in the islands’ hardest hit by Hurricane Joaquin, officials are still discussing the rebuilding of homes in vulnerable areas.

Capt Russell said the government planned to begin rebuilding the homes completely destroyed by the category four storm once the repair efforts were fully in motion.

However, he said, there have been some challenges concerning land ownership, which is causing a delay in officials beginning to reconstruct homes.

“Repairs are going on but we haven’t started reconstruction as yet,” he told The Tribune. “Mechanisms, targets and projects are in place. Right now, I am signing off on cheques for the workers that are assisting us in Long Island.

“We are trying now to get the contractors identified and to finalise the list of homes needing rebuilding.

“At the same time we are still trying to decide whether we will rebuild in certain areas. Land ownership is a serious issue and it will hinder the process.”

The NEMA director said officials from the Department of Lands and Surveys were now involved in the efforts to look at land that can be used in Long Island, Crooked Island, Acklins, San Salvador, Rum Cay, and Long Cay.

“They are going out now looking at lands that can be used because we cannot build in these vulnerable areas.”

Last week, Prime Minister Perry Christie said based on information from the Department of Social Services, Hurricane Joaquin wiped out 413 homes in Long Island, 227 houses in San Salvador, 123 homes in Acklins, 50 houses in Crooked Island and 23 residences in Rum Cay.

At the time, Mr Christie said NEMA has spent $392,382 in building materials for urgent home repairs. He also said there is now on order “additional building material in the same quantity and dollar value to follow that which has already been shipped”.

Last weekend, Capt Russell said materials were shipped out to the various islands, with officials conducting cross checks to “ensure all of our containers, supplies, equipment got to their destinations and that they have been received, they have been stored and catalogued.”

Mr Christie has announced that it will cost almost $57m to repair government buildings and infrastructure damaged or destroyed during the passage of Hurricane Joaquin.

The storm battered the central and southern Bahamas on October 1 and 2, destroying homes and buildings and leaving severe flooding in its wake.