The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MYLES Laroda, State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, was concerned that some Sweeting’s Cay residents were sleeping in tents, two years following Hurricane Dorian.

He also expressed strong concerns regarding the children who are still without a school on Sweeting’s Cay.

Mr Laroda and a delegation took a ferry to the small cay from Grand Bahama yesterday morning to see first-hand the progress and assess all government facilities there.

Mr Laroda also visited the homes built by Rotary.

While there have been some improvements, he said a lot of work is still needed to return the island to some normalcy.

He said people are still living in tents, and all the homes are not fully completed.

“The clinic, I am hearing, is ready, but there is no electricity there. The school is down, and the government dock needs to be expanded.

“Overall, I’ve seen worse, but the island is clean, and the debris is moved – normalcy has not returned two years later,” he said.

“I spoke personally to residents there to ask them their position and life since Dorian. I witnessed first-hand the devastation to government buildings and private homes. I witnessed that there are still tents people are still staying in,” Mr Laroda said.

The residents and government employees, he said, are eager to get back to a normal life and having homes with electrical power.

He said that the 17 homes that were built by Rotary are in different stages of completion. He was also informed that the Disaster Relief Authority (DRA) provided some assistance, and that the contributions were capped at $10,000.

“I visited one where the outside is completed, but there is lots of finished work to do inside. I am hearing around 70 to 80 percent, but I have not entered into a home that was completely done,” he said.

“I am here to visit and see first-hand whatever assistance this present government I am fortunate to be a part of could play in returning normalcy to the lives of individuals at Sweeting’s Cay.”

When asked about the complaint of a rat infestation, Mr Laroda said, “It was not mentioned to me, but now that you raised it, I can have a word with the Minister of the Environment and see how quickly that could be resolved.”

The Sweeting’s Cay All Age School sustained severe roof and interior damage due to the storm.

“I am most concerned about the kids in the school who will have to be transported and placed elsewhere,” he said following this tour.

“I don’t know yet what the plans are, and I heard different positions and would reserve judgment until I know officially what is going to be done for those children from Sweeting’s Cay.

He was not supportive of the students being ferried to mainland Grand Bahama.

“I had a conversation about the possibility of kids...having to catch a ferry and then a catch a bus to go to school and the difficulty that put on them with this adversity. No decision is made yet, but I hope that we will take into consideration the quality of life our young kids would have to make two trips a day by ferry and by bus to get to and from schools, and how this may affect their learning.”