ST. GEORGE’S, MAY 5, 2011 – Government
is said to be making progress in its attempts to provide housing assistance to
St. John residents whose homes were damaged in last month’s flash flood.
Junior Information Minister, Sen. Arley
Gill, told the Government Information Service that lands have been identified
for relocating some of the many residents who have expressed a desire to move
their homes.
“Negotiations are taking place to try to
acquire additional lands to move others who are interested in relocation,’’
said Sen. Gill, the Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister.
He is a member of a Cabinet Sub-committee
that was established shortly after the April 6 flooding which caused an
estimated EC $11 million in damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure, and
the agricultural and fishing sectors in St. John and St. Mark.
Committee members heard firsthand, the
plight of the flood victims at separate meetings in St. John and St. Mark three
weeks ago. Since then, residents seeking housing assistance have submitted estimates
of damage to their homes to the Ministry of Housing.
Sen. Gill said the Housing Ministry, as
part of its mandate to ensure prudence and proper management of limited state
resources, has to evaluate all estimates to determine whether they meet all the
prescribed requirements for government aid.
The
Senator also revealed that Cabinet had approved grant assistance for victims of
the flood in the two west coast parishes. He said details on the disbursement
of the assistance will be provided in the near future.
In addition, the Ministry of Finance has
completed an assessment of the flood damage and an application has been made to
the Caribbean Development Bank and the European Union for funding.
The money will be used to construct proper
back-walls for the river in Gouyave, St. John, as well as to complete the
fishermen’s boat-slipway in Victoria, St. Mark.
SOURCE:
Government Information Service
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