Seven Emergency Shelters Are To Be Rehabilitated Across the Country

Seven emergency shelters have been approved for rehabilitation across the country, said Local Government Commissioner Glenroy Toussaint. The seven shelters are Eggleston Pavillion, Pointe Michel Community Centre, Laudat Old School, Cochrane Old School, Cottage Community Centre, Lower Penville Resource Centre, and Sineku Resource Centre.

According to Toussaint, who also happens to be the chairman of the Emergency Subcommittee of the National Emergency Planning Organization (NEPO), several factors were considered before the selected shelters were earmarked for rehabilitation. These included the vulnerabilities of the communities where these shelters are sited, volume of people to use them during natural incidents, as well as the structural organization of the communities.

The commissioner said the rehabilitation works will be awarded to various contractors so that the projects can be completed by June 2021. The country has a total of 55 of emergency shelters across the island, and the IOM has received funding from USAID to provide essential shelter supplies and equipment for these shelters so that people can manage their stay when they lodge in the shelters, Toussaint said.

These supplies include wheelchairs, cots, mattresses, First Aid kits, drugs, and basic items for cooking.

“The 55 shelters that have been earmarked for provision of non-food-items were also selected based on the vulnerability of those communities as well,” Toussaint disclosed. “We have a number of communities that are in vulnerable areas and we will seek to strengthen those facilities so as to ensure that persons are in a more comfortable and safe environment during adverse events such as hurricanes, tropical storms and the like.”

The government is calling on people who desire to assist with volunteer services during natural disasters in various communities to register with their respective village heads or contact the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) for assistance.

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