Government’s £5m hurricane pledge
The Government has pledged to give £5m to the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria.
The category five hurricane, which struck last Monday, left 98 per cent of buildings on Dominica damaged. International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced the cash yesterday as she visited the Caribbean.
THE GOVERNMENT has pledged to give £5m in aid to the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria.
The category five hurricane, which struck last Monday, left 98 per cent of buildings on Dominica damaged and thousands of people without power.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel announced the cash yesterday as she visited the Caribbean, where a number of British overseas territories were pummelled by two major storms in close succession.
She also visited HMS Ocean, which on Friday delivered 60 tonnes of UK aid to the Caribbean, almost doubling the amount of aid in the region.
She said: “The UK has pledged to give £5m to the people of Dominica, the island worst hit by Hurricane Maria – on top of the £57m already promised to the region – to strengthen recovery following these relentless disasters.
“I have come to the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla to see first-hand UK aid in action, helping families whose lives have been ripped apart first by Hurricane Irma and then Maria.
“The UK is leading the way in the relief effort, delivering emergency food, water and shelter to those who need it most. We will continue to clear up after this devastation in the weeks, months and years to come.”
During her trip, Ms Patel will meet families in the British Virgin Islands whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Irma, and she will visit Anguilla to see UK efforts to get schools and businesses up and running.
The Government is also doubling any UK public donations made to the British Red Cross Irma and Maria appeals, a pledge which has so far raised more than £2m.
The pledge of UK aid comes after the prime minister of Dominica formally requested international support to address the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. It will go directly towards restoring health services and increasing access to healthcare in the most affected areas.
Britain was one of the first to arrive in Dominica following the storm, with Department for International Development (DfID) field teams immediately delivering urgent medical supplies.
Billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson also visited HMS
Ocean to thank the military for their Caribbean relief efforts.
Nick Wood, the executive officer of HMS Ocean, said Sir Richard toured the ship on Saturday – and “had time for a word with everybody”.
“He was brilliant, I think he recognises how much the military has done for the islands in particular and what struck me is how much ownership he feels towards the BVI,” he said.
Meanwhile, a heavily pregnant woman who escaped from her home seconds before it collapsed when Hurricane Irma battered the British Virgin Islands said she has “gone back to basics” to survive. Kenisha Shaw has been living at a shelter in the centre of Road Town with her threeyear-old daughter Brinna in the two weeks since Hurricane Irma pummelled the island.
The 37-year-old, who is due to give birth to a son next month, said: “I try not to fall apart, when I look at my daughter she is very happy, but she doesn’t fully understand what is going on. I know this is not the normal type of living, or what you want. But it is back to basics, old school again, tough it out and rough it out – you have just got to survive.”
We will continue to clear up after this devastation. Priti Patel, International Development Secretary.