BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH at least 27 confirmed dead, damaged thoroughfares and decimated houses, the government of Dominica is slowly making strides in returning the country to a semblance of order.
Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, in the latest of his daily press conferences, pointed to several successful efforts his government has made to get the country functioning despite the challenges the people are facing.
With regards to security, the Prime Minister noted that they are putting systems in place and “have made some progress with additional personnel from the Regional Security System”.
Currently, several CARICOM member states, including Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, have lent support to Dominica by dispatching soldiers and other security personnel to the island.
In the case of Jamaica, PM Skerrit said he had requested the presence of a security advisor to assist with law and order and that person as well as a team are currently in Dominica.
He disclosed that the advisor would be meeting with stakeholders to draft a security plan.
Skerritt pointed out that security is necessary “because we have to ensure that no criminals take the opportunity, because of the exposure of the country to criminal activities, and we have to ensure that we can intercept drugs that may come in or guns and ammunition…”
The Prime Minister told the nation that in relation to of the security factor, a hold has been placed on people sending personal packages to individuals or families on the island because, at this time, the government does not have adequate resources to scan and carry out checks on those items.
He however stated that from next week the situation would be rectified.
According to Skerrit, they have made tremendous progress in having access roads cleared to allow officials to reach the communities that were damaged.
“Because, as you know, every village was cut off from each other, and prior to the hurricane we deployed heavy equipment to strategic locations across the country. And literally on Tuesday morning, we started the clearing of roads and we are happy to note that we have made tremendous progress and the work is continuing.”
He stated that telecommunications continue to improve, as they have received positive reports from Digicel, adding that they have received a proposal from the United Kingdom to further enhance communications on the island.
“We are now able to make and receive calls, and that wasn’t the case days ago,” Skerrit said.
Though the service is up, contact with landline numbers remain a challenge, as was observed by SKNVibes in attempts to contact its colleagues on the island.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operations are expected to continue as the roads have become passable.
