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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 25, 2019 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – A compassionate Team Unity Government, led by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, acting on the reliable advice of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), today, Thursday, April 25, presented the keys to a brand new furnished house to Ms. Euta Hodge of Molineux village.

Ms. Hodge’s urgent housing need came about after her home, located on Main Street, Molineux, was severely damaged during the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Speaking at the house presentation ceremony today, National Disaster Coordinator (NDC), Mr. Abdias Samuel, informed that Ms. Hodge’s home, which she shared with six of her 10 children, was one of the several houses that was severely impacted during the hurricane.

Mr. Samuel said, “I was reliably informed, by the NEMA Secretariat and the District 7 Management Team that on the 6th September 2017, between hours 5:00 am to 6:00 am, a distress call was received regarding a residence on Main Street, Molineux that was being impacted by hurricane force winds and in need of rescue as the roof of same residence was destroyed. This distress call was one of the first to be received by the Agency during the passage of Hurricane Irma.”

Following the hurricane, a damage assessment report carried out by NEMA’s Damage Assessment and Recovery Committee, chaired by the Director of Public Works Department in collaboration with the district volunteers for District 7, deemed Ms. Hodge’s home as uninhabitable.

“The severe damage report listed Ms. Hodge’s home as the only destroyed and completely uninhabitable home in all of NEMA’s eight (8) districts; and the recommendations from this report suggest that she be afforded the assistance of a National Housing Corporation (NHC) 2-bedroom home,” Mr. Samuel disclosed.

The National Disaster Coordinator commended the swift response of the Dr. Harris-led Team Unity administration to the humanitarian needs of Ms. Hodge and her family.

“Today, we are witnessing one such responsible response to humanity by the Government. We are graciously celebrating on this occasion, a Government initiative in building resilience and adopting what in the disaster management discipline is called the three ‘Bs’, Building Back Better. Often when a home is lost during a disastrous event, there is a psycho-social impact to the individuals affected, in particular, when challenged economically,” Mr. Samuel said, while noting that the response of the Government to the reconstruction and rehabilitation cycle is critical to the sustainability of a country.