Guyana donating US$200,000 to hurricane-hit Bahamas - Hastings

The Government of Guyana will be donating $41.6M (US$200,000) to The Bahamas to aid in relief following the battering by Hurricane Dorian.

This declaration was made last evening, by the Minister of State, Dawn Hastings, during the ‘Rise Bahamas’ telethon programme, aired on the National Communications Network (NCN), according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).

The televised programme was a joint initiative between the Rotary Clubs of Guyana, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and NCN.

Hastings said “We are very concerned not only for our Guyanese brothers and sisters, but all who are affected by the hurricane”.

She added “As a government, we have responded through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), who has been our main body that responds to any disaster that happens locally and internationally. And so, CDC along with private sectors, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) and other stakeholders who were willing to come on board, responded very willingly”.

During the telethon, the Minister was accompanied by the Director-General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig. He said that a counselling session has been prepared for disaster victims returning home to Guyana. “We have organised counselling sessions with the Ministry of Social Protection, because the experience will live with these individuals forever and we want to ensure that they receive some amount of counselling and support when they get here,” he said.

According to the Director-General, they have contacted 108 persons via telephone in The Bahamas to determine their needs.

“…every day we receive updates as to what is happening. So, we are working the scenes and we are working overtime to ensure that all persons who are affected receive support,” Craig stated.