BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DOMINICA’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has thanked the United Nations and other countries that have donated to his country’s recovery efforts.
This acknowledgement came today (Oct. 8) as the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, paid a visit to the storm-ravaged island along with CARICOM's Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.
Dominica, known for providing produce to some islands in the Eastern Caribbean, was left in ruins after Hurricane Maria made landfall late last month – killing more than 30 people.
Skerrit, speaking at a press conference this morning, thanked the UN Secretary General for bearing witness to the “future of humanity” if there is no response to the growing problem of Climate Change.
Climate Change was one of the central topics for discussions at the recently concluded UN General Assembly in New York, and the Dominican PM reminded that it was at that meeting he reported that “I had come straight from the frontline in the war against Climate Change”.
“We thank you for visiting us on the frontlines to express your support personally, and we thank you for taking the time to walk with us on this battlefield of shattered lives”.
Just recently, Skerrit had disclosed that the island was on course to make full recovery from a hurricane in 2015 that damaged the island, including infrastructure.
However, Hurricane Maria – a Category 5 storm - left millions of dollars in damage with downed power line, severe damage to a large number of homes, no drinking water and food for citizens and residents.
It is estimated that it would take a number of years before the country could return to a state of normalcy.
Further, Skerrit thanked Guterres for his quick response to request for international assistance and the coordination of relief supplies.
“We trust that you would agree that we are moving in the right direction and at the right pace. We thank you and your team for the help with our relief efforts across the board and especially getting food and water to those who need it.”
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that they are looking forward to partnering with the UN Secretary General and the United Nations in revitalizing the island’s food markets.
He pointed out that the devastation is “so complete” that the recovery has to be “total”.
In a recent statement, the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Management Agency (CEDMA) indicated that the cost of the devastation to Dominica could run into billions of dollars.
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