POND ISLAND–Emergency recovery and disaster preparedness tops the early priority projects to be funded by the World Bank via the recently established Dutch Recovery Aid Trust Fund. The first project will see the financing of repair and equipping of shelters and the procurement of three new fire trucks and four new ambulances.
Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin said on Wednesday she was happy that the Dutch Government and the World Bank agreed to deviate from the normal decision-making procedure of the Trust Fund for a number early priority projects that are necessary to prepare St. Maarten for the peak of the upcoming hurricane season.
Activities in this first project include the repairs of the police stations and the fire station, emergency repairs of schools and other public buildings, a large-scale roof repair programme and the procurement of urgently needed equipment for the fire department and the meteorological department, as well as emergency communication equipment.
The second project will concentrate on debris removal, a cash-for-work programme and strategising on solid waste management. Activities for this second project include contracts for clearance and collection of debris, equipment for storing and processing debris, a civil works contract for re-organising, partial closure and reshaping the current disposal site, the provision of landfill cover material, additional equipment for disposal site operation and contracts for boat salvage from the Simpson Bay Lagoon.
The second project will also finance a cash for work programme for vulnerable populations that is focused on debris collection, including debris separation for curb-side collection, beautification of public areas, targeted beach clean-ups and a vector control programme.
The third project is a large-scale skills and training programme, which targets different sectors that are crucial to Sint Maarten’s economy, including the hospitality, construction and maritime sectors. This project serves to extend and expand the existing hospitality programme of the St. Maarten Training Foundation.
The first phase of that project is currently being subsidised by government in the form of preliminary advance payments. The second phase of this project is proposed to be financed by the Trust Fund. In this second phase, the project will be expanded to include other key sectors, such as the construction and maritime fields.
A fourth project is in preparation to complement the US $75 million already secured for the construction of a new hospital. Additional funding of US $25 million has been requested to adapt the original designs in order to ensure that the medical facility will be able to withstand “Category 5 and above” wind-speeds.
Romeo-Marlin said, “I am fully aware of the sentiments in our community that some things are moving too slow. However, knowing the challenges that we have overcome, I am extremely glad to observe that the cooperation with the World Bank and the Netherlands has progressed tremendously since the appointment of this Government in January 2018.”
She added: “For the people of Sint Maarten, my true hope is that all political parties can unite behind the recovery programme of the Government, as it will help to build back this country better and stronger.”
A delegation of the Interim Recovery Committee and representatives of several ministries are in Washington D.C. to work with World Bank experts on the finalisation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The document will prioritise short-, medium- and long-term needs for the recovery, reconstruction and resilience of St. Maarten. It will include estimates of the financial requirements, costs and investments that are necessary to build St. Maarten back better.
The final NRRP draft is expected to be submitted to the Council of Ministers by early May. Subsequently, consultations will be organised will all stakeholders and partners, including the Netherlands and representatives of the private sector. Based on these consultations, specific revisions will be made before the draft is officially submitted to Parliament.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/76066-early-funding-to-focus-on-disaster-preparedness
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