Tobago stands strong from Beryl, records $5M expenditure

Tobago has effectively evolved from Hurricane Beryl which struck the island two months ago and the government of Trinidad and Tobago has recorded $592,000 expenditure for the rehabilitation efforts aimed at restoring lives to normalcy.

The island nation reported 11 instances of structural damage, 91 fallen trees on the road, 16 blocked roads, and 24 reports of damaged T&TEC utility lines.

The director of Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), Allan Stewart regarding the damage caused by the life-threatening disaster stated, “When we look upon the overall costs of the 16th of last month, it is noted that it totals $592,000.”

Stewart further disclosed the figures while noting that the repair work alone cost the authorities $78,000. He then stated that catered meals cost $36,350, building materials for the repair work cost $400,000, and $77,691 were spent on distributing hampers to affected families.

The director then went on to state that the damage however caused was extensive but 85% restoration has been done in the country.

“The island is now 85% restored and it will take a few more weeks to complete the outstanding work over damaged homes across the country,” Stewart stated.

Notably, there are 37 homes that still need to be repaired and he noted that the division of settlement will look after them to treat it differently.

“The damage assessment reports revealed that the homes are not just about putting them back on the roofs, hence the Division of Settlement will look into the matter and treat them in a particular way,” Stewart explained.

“The division will decide if these homes have to be demolished and rebuilt,” he added.

Tobago also received $2.5 million from the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF). The CCRIF which operates to provide islands across the Caribbean with relief aid for life-threatening disasters, said that the relief helped the island nation recover exclusively from the tragedy.

Notably, the islands of Trinidad and Tobago were spared from the catastrophically damaging hurricane Beryl as the hurricane didn’t cause extensive damage here, if compared to others across the region.

Countries including Grenada Saint Vincent and Grenadines were among the most damaged by the hurricane that hit the Caribbean early in July. It caused widespread damage leaving almost every facility completely ravaged.

The devastating damage caused the island nations millions of damage and relief efforts are still ongoing there to recover stronger from the damage.

However, as the hurricane season is ongoing, it has been expected that this year will potentially be more active with almost 25 named storms predicted.