A delegation of eight private sector representatives, from different business organisations in Trinidad and Tobago, has just completed a fact-finding visit to Anguilla to see: how the island fared during Hurricane Irma, its recovery efforts and what some of its short and long term needs are.
They were welcomed at a cocktail reception hosted at Government House by Governor Tim Foy and his wife Dr. Foy, on Friday, March 16, and attended by Government officials and other persons from the public and private sectors.
Ms. Rhonda Maingot, a spokesperson for the group, told The Anguillian that the representatives were from the Living Water Community, its Mercy Foundation division, and other organisations.
“The Foundation assists people in times of crisis and need – not only in Trinidad but throughout the Caribbean,” she explained. “After the two hurricanes [Irma and Maria] that passed through our islands, we did a lot of relief work by collecting and sending supplies to the islands. We also sent people into Dominica where we still have some persons. At the beginning of this year, after we completed our immediate relief work, we thought we should see whether there are other ways in which we can help. There is so much devastation in our islands that we figured we can help to rebuild in a good way that would help people move on with their lives.”
Ms. Rhonda Maingot
She continued: “We were in Dominica and Antigua and have now come to Anguilla. We had a very good meeting with the Ministers of the Anguilla Government who were very cordial and welcoming to us. They expressed what they saw as the necessary needs of the island and asked us what assistance we can provide. We looked at the possibility of helping in different ways but, of course, we have to continue those negotiations and maybe the Government will put someone to relate to us.”
Asked whether the assistance might include funding or personnel to help with rebuilding, Ms. Maingot replied: “I think both, depending on what is needed. In Dominica we have an engineering team and a contracting team rebuilding a school, other buildings and repairing roofs.”
She said the group had a tremendous response from the business community, and the public in Trinidad and Tobago, at the end of the hurricanes – and that the initial funding came from those sources. “We know that this rebuilding phase will take more funding so we will be looking for international funding,” she stated.
Speaking specifically about Anguilla, Ms. Maingot said: “In Trinidad we were not really aware of how badly damaged Anguilla was until someone came and met me in Trinidad, and at that stage we sent containers of foodstuff and other needed supplies to Anguilla.
“We are doing a documentary and we have a video communications team travelling with us conducting interviews with people who have suffered, as well as with Government officials and other knowledgeable people in the various islands. The documentary is to be used to receive funding from international agencies.”
The video team interviewed Governor Foy and Chief Minister, Mr. Victor Banks, at the Governor’s Office during the cocktail reception.
The leader of the visiting group was Mr. Nigel Salina, Chairman of the Mercy Foundation and Chairman of Global Business Leadership Forum in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Governor Foy thanked him and the other members for their interest in Anguilla. He said that one of the things he learnt in Anguilla was “the resilience of human beings, their ability to put up with the most horrendous circumstances and to get their lives back together.” He said the past months had seen a driving spirit across Anguilla to get life back to normal as quickly as possible and with everybody looking out for each other. He was of the view that while Anguilla had received relief assistance from a number of sources, there was a need for direct foreign investment to drive the island’s economy forward.
Chief Minister Banks thanked Ms. Jasmin Garraway, a Trinidad national attached to the Ministry of Tourism as a development specialist, for being an ambassador for Anguilla, shortly after Hurricane Irma, by mounting a mission for Anguilla to Canada and then Trinidad.
Mr. Banks said that Mr. Nigel Salina and other members of his group had told him that it was not until Ms. Garraway went to Trinidad that they were aware that Anguilla was hit by a serious hurricane. He continued: “It means that we really have got to build our image, and visibility as a destination, and get the message out there about how important we are in the region, because of the tourism products and services we provide in many other areas and the kind of people we represent in this region.
“We welcome the team from Trinidad,” the Chief Minister said. “The first name is Living Waters Community, along with the Mercy Foundation and all the other groups. I think the guiding force has been to respond to the disaster that impacted us here in Anguilla, and the response by those groups immediately after the hurricane to provide relief and support to us. This group, under Jasmin’s attention, was able to do a lot for Anguilla in terms of bringing relief to Anguilla.”
The Chief Minister went on: “We had some very interesting discussions in Executive Council about the kind of support and assistance that this group can give to us in the short term, but it requires that we come together and identify those projects that meet the requirements of the support that they have available. I also encouraged Nigel to look ahead in terms of investment for the longer term in Anguilla. We are not only building back stronger, but trying to build back sustainably. That means we have to grow our economy so that not only when storms come our way we can rebound, but also that we can have a stable economy to support our people when there is not a storm.”
Replying, Mr. Nigel Salina said he was very familiar with Anguilla as he had visited the island a number of times. “Immediately after we heard about the destruction by Hurricane Irma, The Living Water Community, through its founder and director, Rhonda Maingot, the business community, and five major Chambers in Trinidad and Tobago, came together and started a major mobilisation effort,” he reported.
According to him, over 40 containers were sent to various islands, including Anguilla, and it was later decided that for the long term there should be sustainable efforts such as the rebuilding of homes and schools. He also stated that after speaking with Chief Minister Banks the group had given thought to providing further assistance by way of investments for economic recovery. There will be further discussions on these matters between officials in Anguilla and Mr. Salina’s groups.
Ms Jasmin Garraway said it was her long-held view that there was a need for collaboration between the greater Caribbean region and particularly the small island Caribbean developing states. She felt that this would play a significant role in the economic and sustainable development of the region. “It was with that in mind that I felt moved to reach out to Trinidad and Tobago to assist my adopted homeland [Anguilla],” she stated. She took the opportunity to present a token of appreciation from Anguilla to Ms. Maingot for the assistance the island received through her organisations.
