Minister Doran updates on Shelters

~ Hurricane shelter registration will soon be possible ~ PHILIPSBURG -- In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, the Honorable Minister of VROMI, Egbert J. Doran, toured the various shelters to assess the necessary works still needed to take place, due to damages caused by the hurricanes in 2017. The Minister and his support staff were escorted by the Secretary General of the Ministry of VSA, Mrs. Joy Arnell, and her support staff, as well as the Head of the Department of New Projects at the Ministry of VROMI, Mr. Kurt Ruan. Based on the assessment, there are many reparations needed, such as the reinstallation of air-conditioning, generators, windows as well as the installation of hurricane shutters. This has the full attention of the Minister and he plans to take immediate action as in his opinion, the process of the World Bank via the NRPB has been prolonged for way too long. The Minister highlighted that this is the 3rd hurricane season since the devastation of the 2017 hurricanes, and what he has encountered upon taking up office is absolutely not good, and definitely not in favor of the people of Sint Maarten. He stressed that the pace of these reparations doesn't seem to be picking up much. The Ministry of VROMI is diligently exploring ways and means of financing these reparations as many are still suffering since 2017, and may need shelter. As such, the Minister recently held a meeting with the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), in which discussions were held regarding the financing of the repairs. Due to the fact that the start of the hurricane season is near, Minister Doran instructed his staff to create a hurricane shelter registration form. A button will be placed on the Government of St. Maarten's website for persons requiring a shelter prior to any hurricane www.sintmaartengov.org/hurricane. The form will be available through the entire hurricane season. It will be very simple to fill out. Applicants will have to provide their general information and also that of their household. The sole purpose of this new registration form is to ensure that the Ministry has an estimate of persons requiring accommodation at the hurricane shelters in the event of a hurricane. As social-distancing may still be mandatory during the hurricane season, it is even more crucial that the Minister has an estimate to ensure that everyone in need of shelter, can be sheltered safely. For those persons with no internet access, registration forms will be available at the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg, in the near future. Source: sintmaartengov.org