…approximately 23 more Guyanese to return home

THE A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government will be donating approximately $41.6M to The Bahamas, as the Government of that storm-wrecked island shifts its focus to recovery, stabilisation and restoration some 16 days after Hurricane Dorian ripped through the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama.
Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams, made the announcement on Sunday night during a telethon on the National Communications Network (NCN). “As a government we have committed to donate US$200,000 towards assisting the needs of our brothers and sisters,” Minister Hastings-Williams disclosed.

The Government, she said, has been working through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to mobilise support for the country that was hit by the Category Five Storm on September 1, leaving approximately 50 persons dead and more than 1,300 missing. Approximately 70,000 persons, including Guyanese, have been severely affected as a result of the storm, primarily those that reside in the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama.

Shortly after the telethon, the State Minister proceeded to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) where she along with the Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings; and the CDC Director-General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig welcomed home 35-year Orin Grimmond, his wife and three children from the hurricane-ravaged Bahamas.

Minister Hastings-Williams said the Government is in talks with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to facilitate the return of other Guyanese. Approximately 23 other Guyanese nationals have indicated their willingness to return to Guyana.

“We have also gotten requests for the replacement of documents because you know these documents are very, very important. Our brothers and sisters there, they lost their birth certificates, their passports, and their CSME certificates and so through the Ministry of Citizenship, they have put mechanisms in place to see how we can assist our Guyanese brothers and sisters,” she added.

To date, approximately 108 affected Guyanese living in The Bahamas have reached out to the CDC for assistance in various forms. At the CJIA on Sunday night, Colonel Craig told reporters that a Whatsapp group, which was established after the storm, has been helpful in connecting the CDC with those affected. Through that mechanism, approximately 100 Guyanese have directly and indirectly reached out to the commission. It was also through that contact group that Grimmond and his family indicated their desire to return to Guyana after their horrifying experience in the Bahamas.

“There are a total of 28 persons that have indicated their interest to return; this is the first five out of the 28 and we are now working out arrangements for the remainder of persons to travel, to return to Guyana,” the CDC Director-General explained.

He noted that the Private Sector has been working hand-in-hand with the Government to facilitate the return of Guyanese, and to provide support to both Guyanese and Bahamians in the Bahamas. The State Minister had also applauded the efforts of the private sector and non-governmental organisations for their unwavering support in this time of crisis. “We care a lot. I really admire our Private Sector Commission, and those non-governmental organisations that responded very willingly and very quickly to such disasters that we experienced,” Minister Hastings-Williams said.

Over in the Bahamas, the Guyanese Consulate has been working feverishly to ensure that all Guyanese on the hurricane-ravaged island are accounted for, and provided with the best possible care.

On Monday, the Honorary Consul for Guyana, Jairam Mangra told Guyana Chronicle more and more Guyanese in other parts of The Bahamas are reaching out to assist those in the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama. “I am getting more assistance from my fellow Guyanese now, and we are to provide better assistance and relief to our compatriots,” he said.
The Honorary Consul noted that, through the Consulate, they are accumulating food, water and other critical items to assist those who have evacuated from the Abaco Islands to New Providence, and those remaining in Grand Bahama. Through his office, Mangra has been able to transport those critical items to the affected wherever they may be. Accommodation, he noted however, remains a problem.

“Communication on the islands has improved. People on the islands are now able to communicate with me and I am able to communicate with them, that’s one of the good things; and I am getting the supplies, and like I said, more Guyanese resident here in New Providence are coming forward and offering all sorts of assistance for those who are in need,” he told this newspaper.

Mangra noted too a number of Guyanese living in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world have reached out to the Consulate to provide assistance, however, they have been advised to make those contributions through their embassies and consulates. He said it is important for everyone to work in unison and one accord.

However, the Honorary Consul underscored the importance of having Guyanese living in The Bahamas, register with the Consulate, noting that only then can he know of their whereabouts and offer much needed assistance.

“Many of them, these Guyanese, are not registered with the Consulate, and I did not know that they existed until this catastrophe happened, that is important. I be pleading and asking Guyanese to register with the Consulate. A lot of those who have been directly affected have not registered with the Consulate and I did not know of their existence,” he explained.

The Honorary Consul has been in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here.