Soufriere Foundation And Other Organisations Assist Hurricane Tomas Victims In Fond St. Jaques
Soufriere, St. Lucia - While life goes on for the majority of the island’s residents, the people of Fond St. Jacques who were affected by Hurricane Tomas are still trying to put their lives together. The Soufriere Foundation, together with other national institutions, have attempted to make their living conditions better by supplying building materials for home rebuilding, fund raising, propositioning donor agencies for funds, providing direct assistance, etc.
“We are happy that the private sector and the foreign consulates have been supportive of the recovery efforts from the onset of the disaster, among them the Rotary Club of St. Lucia, Coconut Bay Resort and Spa, Sandals Resorts, IGY Marina, Friends of Anse Chastanet, etc. One donor that is especially worth noting is the Federal Republic of Germany”, said the General Manager of the Soufriere Foundation, Dominic Alexander. “The German Embassy was one of the first organizations to offer practical assistance on the ground”, he added.
During the period directly after the hurricane, the German Embassy under the leadership of its Honorary Consul, Mrs. Karolin Troubetzkoy, sped into action to assist the victims by making available Euro $25,000 for urgently needed immediate relief efforts. Mrs. Troubetzkoy was assisted by Sven Homscheid of Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme (CREDP). In collaboration with the local non-governmental organisation, RISE, the German Embassy arranged for the distribution of 100 inflatable two gallon containers together with water purification tablets which were purchased and supplied through the Environmental Health Department to residents who did not have access to safe drinking water. The German Embassy also purchased and supplied two high-tech Paul-type water backpacks for filtering of rainwater into safe drinking water. These were transported from Germany by Condor at no cost.
However, the German Embassy’s generosity did not end there as they proceeded to fund the cost and installation of water tanks with six shower cabins at Fond St. Jacques. Also, a total of 12 pit toilets were installed in the village areas near Fond St. Jacques and some also in Anse La Raye. The locations for the pit toilets were selected by the Environmental Health Department upon request by owners of homes that were in need of these facilities. Being based in Soufriere, the German Honorary Consulate through Mrs. Troubetzkoy has kept in close touch with the community and the Soufriere Foundation ever since to assist when possible.
Coconut Bay Resort was another generous donor. In March, the resort provided the Soufriere Foundation with a 20-feet container of galvanize, plywood, drywall, screws, lumber and paint, worth EC$37,000, for the residents of Fond St. Jacques. During the handing over ceremony held on the grounds of the resort, the General Manager, Mr. Vishnu Bhalla, expressed his support for the victims and his resort’s willingness to assist in whatever way possible. “We at Coconut Bay were saddened by the extent of the damage exacted on human life and the housing stock of Fond St. Jacques and immediately wanted to help. We are happy that we are able to do so now and donate this container of building materials to the Soufriere Foundation to help in its efforts to assist the residents of Fond St. Jacques”, Mr. Bhalla reported. The General Manager also promised to assist further in whatever way possible should the need still arise.
Over the next few weeks the Soufriere Foundation will be stepping up its efforts to assist when it launches its “Sponsor A Home” project. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Macro Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment of the Damage and Losses caused by Hurricane Tomas: A Geo-Environmental Disaster, reports that 308 homes in Fond St. Jacques were destroyed and damaged by the hurricane, with 21 completely destroyed. Through this project, the Soufriere Foundation expects to raise over EC$500,000 to build at least 24 homes and repair several others.
The project though not yet started has already won the support of a number of sponsors. According to the Soufriere Foundation’s General Manager; “Under the project, the private sector is encouraged to fund the full cost of a one or two bedroom prefabricated timber house for a family in Fond St. Jacques. The Soufriere Foundation for its part will take up the responsibility for obtaining the requisite development control approvals, preparing the site, supervising the construction and installing electricity and water. Several key national institutions have already indicated their interest.”
The Soufriere Foundation wishes to thank all organizations who have assisted it with the recovery effort and would like to encourage other organizations who are interested in assisting with the restoration efforts at Fond St. Jacques to call its projects department at telephone # 459-5726.
