Minister Hosein in Republic Day clean-up mode

LOCAL Govt Minister Kazim Hosein spent Republic Day touring areas ravaged by Tropical Storm Karen. He was joined by Member of Parliament for St Joseph and Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh.

He visited affected areas in Barataria and 2nd Avenue, Mount Lambert where the CEPEP Company Ltd and San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation were engaged in massive clean-up exercises. Ministers Hosein and Deyalsingh met with affected residents, surveyed damage and assisted CEPEP crews who were in the process of removing silt from homes and streets.

Hosein noted that the level of debris and garbage left behind by the floods was, in part, a direct result of negative practices by citizens. Slash and burn agriculture, interference with reinforced river banks, illegal bushfires, illegal dumping and unplanned development on the hillsides directly contributed to the flooding experienced in San Juan/Laventille and Tunapuna/Piarco municipalities.

He also met with Disaster Management officials of ten (10) Corporations who were mobilized to conduct relief assessments in the San Juan/Laventille municipality. This all-of-corporations approach pools resources for a quicker response time to the benefit of affected citizens.

Hosein advised that clean-up operations in Bamboo Settlement #1 will commence as soon as the flood waters recede. He further stated that CEPEP and the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation will move into Bamboo Settlement #3 tomorrow to commence relief assessments and clean-up activities.

As he continues to visit affected areas, Minister Hosein expressed his gratitude to all CEPEP personnel engaged in this massive clean-up exercise, referring to them as “unsung heroes" of this entire event He also praised residents for their resilience and assured the nation that the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, through its fourteen (14) Municipal Corporations and special purpose companies, will continue to work efficiently to bring back a sense of normalcy to the lives of citizens after this devastating period.

Persons affected by the flooding can contact their Disaster Management Coordinators to make arrangements for assessment. These numbers are: San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, 800-SLRC (7572) and Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, 800-TPRC (8772).