Greater Georgetown, Guyana – Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has expressed relief that there had been no loss of life in The Bahamas following the passage of Hurricane Irene.
Secretary-General LaRocque has been monitoring the progress of the hurricane and had discussions on Friday with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, the Right Honourable Hubert Ingraham about the situation in that Member State.
Ambassador Irwin LaRocque
The Secretary-General has also been in constant contact with the Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Mr. Jeremy Collymore from whom he was receiving briefings on the situation. On Friday, Mr Collymore had flown to Jamaica which is the sub-regional focal point in CDEMA for the area including The Bahamas.
“I must commend CDEMA for its swift response to the situation both in The Bahamas and in the Turks and Caicos Islands,” Ambassador LaRocque said. He also expressed appreciation for the urgent assistance rendered to The Bahamas by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Prime Minister Ingraham in an address to his nation on Friday evening indicated that the CDB had advised of availability of an Emergency Relief Grant of up to US $200,000 and soft loans if required.
In his message to the stricken state, Secretary-General LaRocque extended sympathy to al who had suffered loss and been displaced by the effects of the hurricane.
Following is the full text of the message:
On behalf of the Caribbean Community, I extend sympathy to the People of The Bahamas particularly those who suffered loss and those who were displaced as a result of the extensive damage to property and infrastructure wrought by Hurricane Irene.
I am particularly concerned about the Family Islands and the colossal damage done to homes and infrastructure across Cat Island, Acklins, Rum Cay, Crooked Island and Mayaguana as well as Abaco and Eleuthera.
I am relieved that despite the extensive scale of the destruction, there was no loss of life.
The Community has already begun to assist our valued Member State, spearheaded by the efforts of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) from its sub-regional focal point, Jamaica.
On behalf of the Caribbean Community I express solidarity with the Government and People of The Bahamas as the process of recovery and reconstruction begins and is committed to rendering all possible assistance as the country seeks to rebuild from the destruction caused by this hurricane.
