Over EC$17 million spent in assistance for Carriacou and Petite Martinique

by Linda Straker

• Over EC$17 million assisting citizens of Carriacou and Petite Martinique
• Senior citizens who were sent to Grenada, have since returned to Carriacou
• Andrews informed that all schools have reopened, hospital is back to normal and most people are repairing homes with government assistance

Tevin Andrews, Member of Parliament for Carriacou and Petite Martinique informed the Parliament that Government has spent over EC$17 million assisting citizens of these 2 Grenadines islets who were affected by the passage of Hurricane Beryl on 1 July.

Though the entire state of Grenada was affected, the northern part was the worst hit by the hurricane which had winds of over 130 miles per hour. There was a direct hit on Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and the parish of St Patrick and these areas were declared disaster zones as guided by the Disaster Management Act.

In his ministerial statement during the 18 December sitting of the Lower House, Andrews said that 5 months after the hurricane, Carriacou and Petite Martinique have made significant progress. Senior citizens residing at a seniors’ home who were sent to Grenada, have since returned to Carriacou. “In such a short space of time we are coming back to some normalcy,” he said, informing the House that all schools have reopened, the hospital is back to normal and most people are repairing homes with government assistance.

“Over EC$17 million have been spent by this administration to assist the people in Carriacou and Petite Martinique with building and roofing materials regardless of who they are. As long as you are affected, as long as you meet the criteria, as long as the assessment is carried out,” said Andrews. “Most people have started putting their roofs, so you are seeing less tarpaulin and more galvanise,” he added.

In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, Government announced several incentives for people who were affected. These incentives included the waiving of Value Added Tax (VAT), the Common External Tariff (CET) and the Customs Service Charge and fiscal incentives. The new incentive measures were specifically for the reconstruction of physical infrastructure,

In a news conference on 7 August, Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall said that for those who would be importing goods and materials from other countries to rebuild, Government will waive the CET, VAT and the Customs Service Charge on imports.

He said that Government would lose a significant amount of revenue because of these measures, but the plan was to ensure that only people affected would benefit from the incentives.