Today’s news that a deal with the World Bank to set up the Reconstruction Trust Fund should be signed in Washington next week is most welcome. It will still take some time before actual projects to be executed with the money provided by the Netherlands become reality, but the agreement is a major step in that direction.
These means are to be spent based on a recovery plan being prepared with the local government, which may include soft loans to key businesses as well. The idea is to significantly improve the quality of life among Irma victims, but also to keep the economy going at least somewhat while the tourism industry slowly recovers.
Although some may understandably be getting impatient, it’s important to note that many efforts to alleviate widespread social suffering are already being made thanks to Dutch support. In Tuesday’s paper, for example, it was reported that the Red Cross will help 2,000 qualifying families rebuild their homes.
Saturday’s edition featured a story about the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reducing its home repair target from 500 to 150, but only because the damaged dwellings need more work than originally anticipated also to make them hurricane-resistant. White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF) and St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) as of last Friday had completely restored 18 homes with another 19 to follow soon, to eventually reach a total of 300 together with UNDP.
That’s still only 10 per cent of the 3,000 requests for help with house repairs recently mentioned by Member of Parliament (MP) Theodore Heyliger, who at the time knew of only 90 such cases being addressed. With the Red Cross now adding 2,000 it appears most of the persons concerned who really need it may in fact receive assistance.
So, people who claim “nothing is happening” ought to think again. A lot has been and continues to be done.
