by STAFF WRITER
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Jun 23, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government has announced a TT$25 million (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents) fund to assist victims of Tropical Storm Bret that swept through the oil-rich twin island republic earlier this week causing widespread destruction mainly in the east and northern section of the country.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, speaking at the end of the Cabinet meeting on Thursday said that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had put a proposal to Finance Minister Colm Imbert “that we move to establish immediately, a relief fund for the flooding and other off-shoots of what has taken place as a result of Tropical Storm Bret, over the past 48 hours, of $25 million”.
He said the money will be disbursed among the Ministries of Social Development and Family Services; Local Development and Rural Development; and Works and Transport.
“It is envisaged this fund will be disbursed through the various programmes to assist those who have been adversely affected by the effects of Tropical Storm Bret,” Young said, adding to minimise the possibility of fraud, Cabinet has decided to utilise, “already-in-place” procedures at the three ministries with respect to dispensation of monies.
“It is going to be a fluid situation. There are procedures in place to access various grants (within these ministries) and once you go and get through these processes and procedures, the money will be provided from the Ministry of Finance,” Young said.
No one was killed as a result of the storm but the Office of Disaster preparedness and Management (ODPM) said as many as 100,000 people had been affected as a result of the passage of the first named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.
Social Development and Family Services Minister Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, said her ministry offers a range of benefits to distressed citizens, moreso those affected by natural disasters.
She said in instances where the roof of houses have been blown off, a sum of TT$20,000 will be provided per applicant. In addition, a TT$10,000 grant can be accessed to replace furniture such as refrigerators, stoves, beds and dining tables. Crichlow-Cockburn said individuals must submit their claims to the ministry.
“The ministry is currently working on the basis of individuals submitting applications and we are also partnering with the ODPM and regional corporations so that where they would have conducted assessments, we would then process the applications,” she said.
“But in instances where individuals may not have been able to interact with the ODPM or the regional corporations, they can submit an application directly to one of our regional offices,” she added.
