— from hurricane ravaged countries, numbers expected to climb

By Svetlana Marshall in New York

VICE-PRESIDENT and Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge said some 40 hurricane-affected Guyanese have requested to return home but said the number is expected to climb.

Speaking to journalists on the margin of the 72nd Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday, the Foreign Affairs Minister said though he has not spoken to the Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, since his return to Guyana from Antigua, the Ministry as early as Sunday, September 17 would have gotten an indication of the numbers of affected Guyanese who would like to be repatriated.

“When we (were) looking at the figures you had somewhere in the region of 40 persons wanting to move from the British Virgin Islands and those numbers are being built up,” Minister Greenidge disclosed when questioned by Guyana Chronicle.

According to him, the estimation of the number of persons wishing to be repatriated is an ongoing one.

“It seems to be concentrated primarily in the British Virgin Islands and in St Maarten, St. Barts, in that area. I am not sure that I am aware that anyone is interested in being moved from Anguilla, and those who were in Barbuda, would have been moved with everyone else to Antigua,” he explained.

He said, however, the priority now is to provide food and water to the affected.

In Guyana, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon disclosed that a British military aircraft would be made available to the Guyanese Government to transport food, water and other critical supplies to Antigua for distribution to the hurricane ravaged countries by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to the affected islands. Already, Guyana has committed US$100, 000 to the CDEMA Fund to assist the hard hit Caribbean countries.

On Tuesday, the foreign affairs minister in his address during the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, said there can be no doubt of the severity of the impact nor of the urgency of existing needs, as he alluded to Caribbean countries devastated by Hurricane Irma.

“The evidence of the increasing incidence and vulnerability of our planet, and especially small island and low-lying coastal developing states, to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, is before our eyes. It compounds preexistent challenges and the vicious cycle of development faced by countries of the Caribbean. The massive destruction caused by Hurricane Irma is but the latest and a sad illustration,” he stated.

Minister Greenidge said Guyana stands in solidarity with the countries and people affected by Hurricane Irma.

“In collaboration with CARICOM, Guyana commits to doing its part in a tangible manner to contribute to relief efforts,” the foreign affairs minister said, while calling for urgent and substantive support of the international community to respond to this disaster and to rebuild better and stronger countries.