ROSEAU, Dominica--The government of Dominica has pledged US $100,000 in assistance to the government and people of the Bahamas, which has been battered by category five Hurricane Dorian.
The announcement was made by Deputy Prime Minister Reginald Austrie, who said at a Cabinet media briefing on Monday morning, that the money would be transferred immediately to assist the Bahamas after the passage of Hurricane Dorian.
Foreign Affairs Minister of the Bahamas, Darren Henfield had revealed earlier, in a distressing video, that there had been catastrophic damage and unconfirmed reports of deaths in Abaco, the Bahamas, following the passage of the hurricane.
The slow-moving Dorian – the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record – started inflicting a severe pounding on the Bahamas on Sunday, packing sustained winds of up to 220 miles per hour.
“This morning the cabinet met to assess the information and to indicate what possible assistance that the government can render to the people of the Bahamas immediately,” the deputy prime minister said. “While we await further word from the Bahamas to the full extent of the damage, we have to recognise that information flow is not as smoothly as we would expect … but the cabinet has taken a decision to immediately transfer US $100,000 to the government and we’re also indicating if it’s possible, to assist the children of the Bahamas in their education.”
He said the cabinet would meet at 12:00 noon on Monday with the chairpersons of the Office of Disaster Management (ODM), the security services, head of the utility companies and representatives of the private sector, to discuss a more comprehensive package of assistance that can be rendered to the people of the Bahamas in “these very difficult and trying times.”
Austrie recalled that the Bahamas had been one of the first countries to assist Dominica after Hurricane Maria and stated that the Dominican government stood firmly behind the people of the Bahamas.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has been in touch with Bahamas Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, to express his solidarity and support during these trying times, Austrie revealed. ~ Dominica News Online ~
