THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) will today meet with Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Head of the Civil Defence Commission Chabilall Ramsarup to craft a plan to help Caribbean islands affected by Hurricane Irma.
The meeting will take place in the boardroom of the PSC’s Waterloo Street office.
On Thursday, during a post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon told reporters that government stands ready to lend technical and other forms of support to affected countries.
He said the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has already sent out Situation Reports (SITREPS) to all its member states, but thus far there has been no direct request for assistance as need assessments are being completed.
President David Granger has since committed Guyana’s support for Caribbean states which have been ravaged by Hurricane Irma, even as the international community mobilises its response to the disaster.
In a statement on Thursday, Government said it stands in solidarity with the people of the hurricane-ravaged territories of the Caribbean and President Granger expressed condolences to his colleague heads of government and residents of affected states and to the relatives of those who lost their lives as a result of the storm.
The Category Five storm devastated Antigua’s sister isle Barbuda and also ravaged St Maarten, leaving insurmountable damage to property and loss of life. Irma has also affected Puerto Rico, Cuba and Haiti as well as Florida.
Irma quickly evolved from a Category Two to a Category Five hurricane after having developed off the Coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
The devastating storm broke meteorological equipment in Cuba, despite the fact that it has weakened to a Category Four storm.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose, a Category Four hurricane, is also being monitored as experts say it is headed towards the eastern Caribbean already ravaged by Irma. Hurricane warnings have been issued to the islands of St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, while tropical storm warnings have been issued for Barbuda, Anguilla, Saba and St. Eustatius.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for the British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, St. John and Antigua.