The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NEARLY six years after the government placed RV trailers in Abaco to assist residents displaced by Hurricane Dorian, Disaster Reconstruction Management (DRM) Authority officials said there is still no definitive deadline for occupants to vacate the temporary housing units even as concerns persist about alleged illegal activity at the site.

The trailers, located next to the Marsh Harbour government complex, were intended to provide temporary housing for residents displaced by Dorian in 2019.

However, in recent months, residents have raised growing concerns about the site, claiming it has become a hotspot for criminal activity.

Some residents claim the trailers, originally intended for government employees after Dorian, are being occupied by people not authorised to occupy them.

There are also reports that some units are now being rented out for profit –– echoing similar claims made about the government dome housing sites established after Hurricane Dorian.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Alex Storr, the authority’s executive chairman, said no deadline has been set because background work with other agencies is ongoing, and officials are awaiting a report from partner organisations.

“As a matter of fact, we’re still trying to actually figure out who exactly is in those trailers and what rights they have to be in those trailers.”

Mr Storr said the most recent report indicated there were 50 trailers on site, with about four vacant and the rest occupied. While the exact number of residents is unknown, approximately 46 trailers are currently occupied.

Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder previously told The Tribune that the trailers were never intended for long-term use and have become problematic, citing health and safety risks and their inability to withstand storms.