BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE government has informed that St. Kitts and Nevis has sustained $88.5m in damage resulting from the recent passage of Hurricane Maria.
Giving preliminary assessments for both St. Kitts and Nevis in a pre-recorded national address last evening (Sept. 23), Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris said the preliminary damage report from Maria is still being finalized.
He however explained that there were significant damage to some critical infrastructure, noticeably “ electricity and waters services, our road network at Old Road, our fisheries complex and the Irish Town Bay Road, the agricultural sector, our coastline and environment sustained serious damages”.
Sports facilities in Challenger’s and the Kim Collins Stadium were also damaged, while the “housing stock also suffered as did several schools”, Dr. Harris noted.
“Preliminary estimates put damage to the Federal Public Sector at around EC$38.5 million and counting. That on Nevis has been put by the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) at EC$50 million for a total preliminary assessment of EC$88.5 million in Public Sector damages as a consequence of Hurricane Maria,” Harris explained.
That total goes along with the EC$53M in damage the same sector suffered from the passage of powerful Category 5 Hurricane Irma.
“The Public Sector received damages then of over $140 million (preliminary estimates) as a consequence of the two hurricanes. It should be noted that so far, apart from insurance claims approved by CCRIF of US $2.29 million, we are faced to carry this burden of recovery alone.
“With courage and resilience, our Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has braved two powerful Category 5 hurricanes, Irma and Maria, within a span of two weeks, and we have come out of them without sustaining either catastrophic damage or loss of life. And for this we give every praise, honour and glory to Almighty God.
“My Government and I express our gratitude to the public for your heightened level of preparedness and cooperation. These undoubtedly helped to mitigate the damage caused by both Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For this, we again give thanks to God whose Divine Providence brought us through,” the Prime Minister said.
The Federation was spared much of the devastation from the two category 5 hurricanes, but some neighbouring islands were not so lucky.
Anguilla, Barbuda, Dominica, the British Virgin Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Cuba and Puerto Rico were all hit by either of the two hurricanes.
