46 hurricane victims arrive in Suriname

46 people whose lives have been turned upside down by Hurricane Irma arrived in Suriname under the watchful eye of the National Coordination Center for Disaster Control (NCCR). Most of these people lived on the island of St Maarten and half of the group from St Maarten has the Surinamese nationality while the rest has other ties with Suriname. 111 people had initially indicated that they wanted to be evacuated but most of them changed their minds after they had found a safe haven on one of the other Caribbean islands. NCCR on Tuesday pointed out that Suriname has spared no efforts in providing assistance and aid to Surinamese citizens who live on the islands that were hit by Hurricane Irma. In the next couple of days the NCCR will hold talks with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in order to determine how to facilitate the people who have changed their minds once again and have decided to return to Suriname. The Surinamese government has also provided assistance to CDEMA after it had indicated that it needed a logistics expert. The NCCR has answered CDEMA’s request by sending an army officer to assist. NCCR manager Jerry Slijngaard made it clear that none of the people who were flown to Suriname had to pay any travel expenses. Slijngaard explained that the Dutch and Venezuelan government provided planes to fly people from St Maarten to Aruba and Curaçao. The NCCR then took over by getting the people who wanted to return back to Suriname free of charge. USAtoday reported that although much foreign aid has arrived for many in need in St. Maarten, more is needed because of the scale of devastation on the 33.5-square-mile island with a population of 70,000 people on both sides. Many have criticized the government’s initial response in the aftermath of Irma. A week after the storm hammered the island killing dozens and causing unprecedented damage throughout the country, disaster relief efforts have poured in to assist the stranded residents who lack proper shelter, food, power or running water. At least 14 people have died, and more than 200 are missing, according to the Netherlands Red Cross. Irma, a Category 5 hurricane, hit St Maarten on Sept. 6.