Skerrit Reaffirms Housing & Financial Support to People Impacted in the East

PM Roosevelt Skerrit has reaffirmed his pledge to provide housing and financial supports to the residents of Castle Bruce, San Sauveur, Delices, Good Hope, Petite Soufriere and other communities impacted by torrential rainfall two weeks ago. This pledge also extends to people in the Kalinago Territory.

The prime minister said traders, farmers, and fishermen in the areas will be helped to regain their feet once the government completes its assessment of the environmental damage. He said the DLP administration provided significant assistance to Dominican citizens impacted by Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Erika some years ago, and that the government remains poised to help people of the east affected by the recent rainstorm.

According to Skerrit, the government is also considering relocating some communities in danger zones to safer areas of the Island where landslides and environmental events are not so common. He said his administration will work with relevant stakeholders to determine the best places to relocate people to in the next few weeks, and that this will prevent the loss of lives and property damage associated with torrential rainfalls.

Apart from providing financial support to affected persons, the government also vowed to construct resilient houses for vulnerable people in the affected communities. Resilience houses will be able to withstand environmental events such as torrential rainfall, earthquakes, landslides, and flooding exacerbatd by climate change.

Skerrit did not, however, provide details on the exact amount of financial assistance to give to affected families, or a definite timeline in which such amounts will be disbursed. Political analysts opined that the prime minister would want to wait until the DLP wins the next general election scheduled for December 6, 2022, before he begins to fulfill his pledge to the people of eastern Dominica.

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