Her Excellency, the Governor Elizabeth Carriere and Government Officials conducted a tour of some of the island’s emergency shelters on Friday September 2, 2016.
The Shelter delegation tour included the Honourable Premier Donaldson Romeo, the Honourable Minister responsible for Housing Claude Hogan, Resident Infrastructure Adviser for the Department for International Development (DFID) John Bowker, Director of the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) Billy Darroux, Permanent Secretary Housing Daphne Cassell and other senior government officials.
The aim of the tour was to get a firsthand look at the upgrade work carried out on the shelters under the Montserrat Shelter improvement project funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). The project is managed by the Department of Housing in the Ministry of Trade, Housing, Lands and the Environment (MATHLE).
The project aims to bring all designated disaster shelters on island up to the approved standards as set out by international guidelines.
The shelters visited were the New Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church downstairs in St John’s, Davy Hill Weslyan Holiness Church, Cudjoe Head Cavalla Hill Methodist Church Cecil Weekes Centre, the Cavalla Hill Methodist Church Koinakraft Centre and St Peter’s Old School.
Some of the refurbishments carried out on the shelters included upgrading and toilet and kitchen facilities, tiling, roofing, construction of disability access ramp, and painting among others.
The renovation of the kitchen facilities at the New Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church downstairs and Cavalla Hill Methodist Church Cecil Weekes Centre were done by its members, with some assistance from government departments.
Director of the DMCA Billy Darroux said there’s still more work that needs to be done on the shelters to bring the facilities up to international standards.
He said the DMCA, the Department of Housing, building owners and other stakeholders will continue the collaboration which has resulted in the improvements to date.
Mr Darroux also commended the churches for continuing to support emergency management through provision of space for shelters if it becomes necessary.
The Montserrat Shelter Improvement Project will continue with improvements to other shelters on the island.
