Hon Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is leading a delegation to Haiti and the Bahamas, the two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries severely affected by the passage of Hurricane Matthew last week.
Prime Minister Skerrit, who is chairman of CARICOM, is accompanied by CARICOM Secretary General Irwin La Rocque, the Executive Director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as well as Government’s Advisor on Disaster Management, Cecil Shillingford.
The Dominica Leader arrived in Haiti on Tuesday, October 11th, where he was briefed by CDEMA’s Ronald Jackson.
Prime Minister Skerrit also spoke with the Haitian press where he stressed the need for long term projects to lessen the impact of future natural disasters in Haiti.
Hurricane Matthew has been blamed for the deaths of nearly 900 people in Haiti and thousands have been left homeless.
The Dominica leader noted the impact of the disaster on water systems, agriculture and infrastructure and health.
He was especially concerned about the impact on the children of Haiti. He believes efforts should be made to repair schools and assistance should be provided to activate the school-feeding programme.