GOVERNMENT GRATEFUL OVER ST. KITTS-NEVIS BEING SPARED DURING HURRICANE SEASON, HELPS THE NOT SO FORTUNATE
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, DECEMBER 4TH, 2016 (PRESS SEC) — Wednesday, November 30th marked the official end of the hurricane season, and Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and his Cabinet of Ministers are grateful for St. Kitts and Nevis being spared the ravages of a hurricane.
Moreover, the Team Unity government has parlayed the good fortune of St. Kitts and Nevis into an opportunity to help other countries that were not so fortunate during the 2016 hurricane season.
“We are prepared as a people not only to sympathize with those who suffer, but also to extend a helping hand,” Prime Minister Harris said during his National Address on Saturday, November 19th. “We are happy to be in this position, to experience the satisfaction of giving to others,” Dr. Harris added.
The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis has pledged approximately EC$1 million to Haiti and the Bahamas, as the two countries work to rebuild and recover in the wake of Hurricane Matthew.
Discussing the aid package to the Bahamas and Haiti, Dr. Harris stated on November 19th that, “Cabinet pledges its support to these islands totaling just over $1 million dollars. This amount will be shared between the two countries on an equitable basis, taking into account the damage and economic health of each member state.”
The 2016 hurricane season spawned 15 named storms, seven of which were hurricanes. Hurricane Matthew, the strongest one, devastated Haiti as a Category 4 storm, killing hundreds and displacing thousands of people there, as well as causing extensive damage to housing, public infrastructure and utilities in parts of the Bahamas.