feb-2018c

FEB.-MAR. 2018 Opening Lines JAMAICANS COMINGTOHELP REBUILD BARBUDA A 25-member regional team will be inAntigua and Barbuda soon to assist with the rebuild- ing efforts on Barbuda follow- ing the devastation caused byHurricane Irma last September. TheNational Office of Disaster Ser- vices (NODS) will receive assistance from a 12-member delegation from Jamai- ca,alongwith 13 individuals from the Regional SecuritySystem (RSS).Theywill join a ten-memberAntigua and Barbuda Defense Force team that is alreadycarry- ing out work in Barbuda alongwith local contractors. The focus is nowbeing placed on homes categorized as Levels One and Two–those that receivedminor damage, publicbuildings and properties belong- ing to persons whowork in the critical services namely teachers,airport staff, among others.In all,82 houses have been repaired. Meanwhile,operations officer within the EmergencyOperations Centre (EOC), MajorAlandoMichael,said clean-up of the properties on Barbuda continues. Electricityhas been restored to several homes after theywere assessed and then verified by theAntigua PublicUtilities Authority (APUA). The secondary school has been re- opened and caters for 58 primaryand secondary students.Michael saidwork has started on getting theAntigua Commercial Bankoperational this week. In addition,securitypersonnel are now operating from the airport,and customs and immigration are expected to be installed shortly.The River Dock is also opened to the ferry,small cargo vessels and barges.