MANNING HEADS FOR DR TO HELP HAITIBy COREY CONNELLY Sunday, January 17 2010
Prime Minister Patrick Manning is expected to leave tomorrow for the Dominican Republic to meet with other Caricom leaders to map out a plan for the recovery of earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Foreign Affairs Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon revealed yesterday.
Addressing a hastily-called news conference, which was also attended by National Security Minister Martin Joseph and chief executive officer of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management Colonel George Robinson at Knowsley, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain, Gopee-Scoon said the meeting was being organised under the auspices of the European Union.
“On Monday January 18 2010, the honourable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister will be travelling to the Dominican Republic to meet with the President of that country and other Caricom Heads of Government to discuss the formulation of a strategy to assist the medium and long-term recovery of Haiti,” she told reporters.
Gopee-Scoon said Manning’s delegation would include a representative from the Foreign Affairs ministry, Susan Gordon, a permanent secretary from the Ministry of Finance and technical personnel. She gave no further details on the meeting.
During last Thursday’s post-cabinet news conference, Manning announced that the Government was pledging US$1 million to the relief effort on the island. The PM had also suggested that further funding may be made available depending on the long term needs of the island.
Updating journalists on the status of Haiti, Gopee-Scoon said the number of fatalities has increased steadily. “The Haitian Minister of the Interior has stated that 50,000 bodies have been collected but the total number of deaths could climb to 200,000,” she said.
The United Nations preliminary estimates, she said, were that 300,000 people had been made homeless while many were badly injured and still in need of urgent medical attention.
Gopee-Scoon also revealed that Jamaica has been selected, at the level of Caricom, to coordinate the relief effort. She added that the country has also offered the facilities of its airports and ports as staging posts in the effort.
Gopee-Scoon also said that the search for director of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority Gregory McAlpin was ongoing. “I have been informed that yesterday (Friday) voices were heard from within the rubble and the search and rescue effort is continuing. I understand that efforts are being made to gain access for additional lifting equipment,” she said.
Gopee-Scoon said TT’s efforts were being coordinated by the activities of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
Robinson assured that all necessary steps were being taken to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of funds and material resources locally for the relief effort in Haiti. Where necessary, he said, receipts would be provided to donors while containers and other storage mechanisms would be properly labelled for recording purposes.
