The Tribune

THE first set of government-purchased trailer homes to provide temporary housing for residents displaced in the central and southeast Bahamas by Hurricane Joaquin are on their way to Crooked Island and Acklins.

The homes, part of a set of seven trailer homes and five motor homes costing $204,500, were handed over to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday at the Arawak Port Development Company (APD).

First Assistant Secretary of NEMA Chrystal Glinton said the organisation was pleased by the condition of the trailer homes, which are comfortably outfitted with living quarters, bathroom, kitchen and luxuries such as TV and air conditioning. Three are going to Crooked Island and one to Acklins.

She said NEMA wants residents to “enjoy” the trailer homes until their homes are repaired or replaced during the reconstruction phase.

Barbara Burrows, of the government-appointed National Recovery and Reconstruction Unit (NRRU), was pleased the trailer homes were going to provide relief to residents in the storm-ravaged areas. She also thanked the port in its efforts to store supplies and ship them to the affected areas.

Richard McCombe of APD, a strategic partner in the process, said before the trailer homes were to be shipped, they would be properly documented at the port in Nassau. And upon arrival to the designated island, the goods would be received by a team on the ground who would also properly document the arrival of goods and who would receive them. He added that NEMA would supply a needs list so as not to oversaturate the communities with items.

Last month, Island Luck gaming house CEO Sebas Bastian donated six trailer homes for temporary housing for victims of the hurricane.