RAILING AGAINST THE WIND

Last week on 30 June 2024, the Government of The Bahamas passed a resolution in the House of Assembly which would provide 200 million in contingency lending which would be triggered if there were a pandemic or natural disaster.  The FNM tried to block the resolution.

We mention this because Caricom Prime Ministers are now trying to figure out how they are going to pay for the loss and damage occasioned by Hurricane Beryl. The Jamaicans think that the damage is such that they will not have to borrow but other Prime Ministers know that the damage to the housing stock is such that they have to borrow.  Some 3000 homes were destroyed on Grenada’s  Caricou Island and 1000 on St Vincent’s Union Island.  Ralph Gonsalves put the replacement cost at 200 million dollars US.

This should send out a signal to the Caricom heads that we have to get this loss and damage issue worked out with the international financial community.  We cannot keep this up.

That storm in one day caused all that damage.  The damage will take years to repair if at all.

The world just keeps talking and talking.  The leaders of Caricom keep talking and talking, describing problems, but the response and the aftermath is the same.

 There is no use railing against the wind. The time now is for action.  This must be acted upon, to rebuild, action to refinance, action to adjust to the new reality.

Number of hits for the week ending Saturday 6 July 2024 up to midnight: 471,973;

Number of  hits for the month of June up to Monday 30th June 2024 up to midnight: 378,997;

 Number of hits for the year 2024 up to Saturday 6 June 2024 up to midnight: 1,781,719;