CIG donates $500k to Dominica for storm damage
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has donated half a million dollars from the public purse to the government of Dominica, which sustained catastrophic damage during Tropical Storm Erica last month. The premier said that the caucus and Cabinet had made a decision to help the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, where the disaster had been had been all the more tragic as the rivers flooded and gushed down steep mountainsides, wiping out many bridges and other infrastructure.
“We don’t have to ask or speculate about how terrible a disaster this is, just think back to hurricanes Ivan and Paloma,” McLaughlin said Monday as he announced the donation. “But in the case of Dominica … it is much worse than we can contemplate here because it is a very mountainous country with lots of rivers. It had thirteen main bridges but many of those have been taken out completely and whole communities have been cut off.”
The premier said he knows the country’s leader, Roosevelt Skerrit, very well and had been in touch with him regarding the devastation and had already sent the cash to the government. McLaughlin said 31 people were confirmed dead but the prime minister had also told him many people were still missing and unaccounted for.
“While people make think the island is remote from us, they are our Caribbean brothers and sisters and Cayman is in a position to offer some assistance and we think it is only right and the Christian thing to do to play our part.”
He said the local small community from Dominica here in the Cayman Islands was trying to raise more funds and collecting food and necessities to ship there. He urged the private sector to support that effort as well and if there was sufficient goods to send from here, a Cayman Airways flight would take the donations to the nearest island, such as Antigua, as the airport on Dominica could not accommodate 737s.
During a TV broadcast in the wake of the storm, Skerrit said Erika set the nation’s developmental progress back 20 years, as hundreds of homes and buildings were destroyed. The damage caused across the island could cost the country more than $150 million — half of its annual GDP — to repair. The island was ravaged by the flood waters that swelled the many waterways, which washed away land and structures and also caused devastating landslides.
Aid from the rest of the developed world has so far been noticeably absent and Dominicans have been at the forefront of their own rescue and recovery. Crews have been working around the clock clearing roads of landslides, and teams have been crossing rivers and hiking mountains in attempts to reconnect remote villages.
According to a report in the Independent on Monday, international aid from outside the region has been slow in coming. “Aid from the rest of the developed world has so far been noticeably absent and Dominicans have been at the forefront of their own rescue and recovery,” the British paper reported.
Aid such as helicopter airlifts, medical supplies, bottled water and other essentials came immediately from the Caribbean, including Cuba which sent doctors and nurses. The crew of the Royal Navy auxiliary ship Lyme Bay which was in the Caribbean region, is now assisting with temporary water supplies in areas that have been cut off. According to local press reports, a petition has been launched on the internet asking US President Barack Obama for assistance.
Category: Caribbean, World News
DONATIONS OF NON-PERISHABLE FOODS, AND CLOTHING, AND OTHER STUFF/SUPPLIES CAN BE DROPPED OFF AT:
CHURCH OF CHRIST
43 ANTHONY DRIVE, WINDSOR PARK
945-6579
Cayman Airways will fly a plane load of supplies over once they get enough donations.
Please everyone donate what you can to help the people of Dominica through this tragic and difficult time.
Tarps, blankets, sheets, towels, clothes, feminine products, toiletries, baby supplies, underwear, shoes, laundry detergents, etc, and any non-perishable foods.
Thank You Very Much & God Bless You.
Most of that money won’t get put to good use. When Cayman was completely destroyed by Ivan who was at out aid??? So much more issues in our own country that needs to be dealt with. Alden you betta try clean ya yard before you step in others !!!!!
It is in giving that you receive. Do onto others as you would have them do to you.
At least we know he’s not using it to buy wotes.
The ugliest thing I have seen is a human being without compassion.
Kudos to the CIG for this action on behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands to assist one of our neighbours, even if they live a ways away.
Whether our Premier ‘knows’ their Prime Minister is irrelevant; this isn’t Alden sending Roosevelt some of his own dollars.
I am comfortable with this gift. Having been through Ivan, I know the fear and uncertainty that we felt about the prospects of rebuilding. I remember feeling particularly so when it became clear that other than some technical help and some USAID donations, very little financial help would be coming our way.
I can only imagine the psychological and physical state of the people of Dominican who are in a far worse state than we ever were, pre and post hurricane.
I hope that Cayman’s gift will prompt other countries also to give.
And who knows — maybe some time in the future Cayman may need help. What goes around, comes around.
Some of you people are so flippen pathetic with your comments. If you have nothing good to say about the donations that we as Cayman made, then simply don’t comment. No one is interested in all the negativity. At least for once in ya life say something positive which can make a difference. 6:40am I totally agree with you and for 6:37am stick your comment where the sun don’t shine. Stre8888 talk!!!!!!!!!
rather hypocritical comment there, your whole comment is negative
Opinions are a right and the option to voice them is also a right. We all have our own minds. Sometimes it is good, sometimes not. But you cannot dictate to others when it suits you to share their voice or opinions. The dictatorship that we are facing now as a country is unbelievable.
Really nice move
Charity begins at home try feeding those kids in your school system that cant afford lunch
After Ivan what I remember is McKeeva Bush not allowing the international media into Cayman. What I remember is what relief supplies did come were used by him to hand out mainly in West Bay to his “faithful constituents” and pretty much no one else. What I remember is life being very hard and complicated further by thieves and opportunistic price gougers. People did come together to help each other though, that helped to ease the insult of having a shotgun pointed at me when I approached a family member’s establishment for some ice by some paid mercenary type individual. What I remember is a curfew that went on for far too long. What I do not remember is any international assistance personally save for one blue tarp that said UN on it which somehow managed to escape the garrison community of West Bay. That being said, I am happy to see Dominica getting assistance from the Cayman Islands in a time of dire need. It is a fact that Caymanians are being purposefully displaced and dispossessed in their own country. It is also a fact that there are those here who are parasites of a welfare state system created largely by you know who for his own purposes (and many of whom are not really Caymanians by the way but are those who sold their soul for the political expediency and voting consolidation of you know who). I hope for a speedy recovery, as much as possible, for Dominica and her people. May God bless them (and for the non-believers amongst us I guess that is your invitation for snide remarks if that is the type of person you are).
If you think he was the only one you are sorely mistaken. Lucille Seymour, Arden McLean, et al were equally as bad, storming the airport relief supply distribution centre claiming it was all theirs. Until the auditors moved in, ask Swarbrick for that report before he goes….
No I do not think that he was the only one, the same way that I am well aware that people like him cannot and do not exist in a vacuum. I remember Dart and his band of lackeys running away to some hotel in Texas on their spiffy private jet and then returning to Cayman after the storm to hand out paper Caymanian flags as one of their typical public relations stunts. I was not at the airport so I did not witness what you speak of but if it is true then they acted shamefully, though I would suspect nowhere near the level of XXXXX. I would very much like to see the full unabashed truth revealed to all and sundry including the willfully ignorant and let the chips fall where they may on any and all of this and everything else. It is a shame that the Auditor General is leaving for he has been one of the precious few willing to begin to expose both Dart and McKeeva et al and what they have done (none of which was “for Cayman”). I look forward to seeing any report from the Auditor General. It really does not matter who has abused their positions of power and so much worse, who the cap fit let them wear it and may they be held fully accountable for it (I guess I can dream). As we have seen the self serving complicity of the above mentioned individuals exposed, only to be inexplicably (yeah right) overshadowed by the whole gay marriage debate/debacle, I hope that all of you churchgoers who took money from the supposed Nation Building Fund have a great time visiting the Kimpton when it opens and graces these fair shores with it’s “nice Dartian construction” and “oh so pretty” flowers. I wait with baited breath to see what great and all encompassing debate will come to the fore to overshadow the report to which you have alluded. May God bless Dominica and her people, at the very least they are not currently stuck in the rock and hard place scenario that the Cayman Islands are in XXXXX
To :”A River for each day of the year”, I urge you to come forward and speak of what you know. I only have hearsay evidence that the first relief supplies (from a Princess ship) were diverted at the dock to go primarily to West Bay on McKeeva’s orders, with only 1 in 10 going elsewhere on the Island. Bodden Towners, the hardest hit community on the island were left to lick their wounds. We had no power for three months!
Survival scenarios bring out the best in humans.
Duguay (newly on island at that time) stepped in and tried to stop some of the corruption by putting systems in place (especially at the DVES gas station). But he could not be everywhere and the MLAs correctly named as being at the airport were disgraceful.
Mac turned away the British Warship that was parked in GT the day the storm blew over and they were essentially told by Mac to eff of as we did not need their help, he could handle everything.
He loves telling Brits to eff off. They are still here, and then could have helped. Twat.
Dude…that UK warship had no help to give. Some chlorine tablets and tetnus shots. They were over exhausted and out of relief supplies after helping Grenada first who had been flattened by Ivan.
Turning away that ship was doing us a favor. They were looking for RnR.
Absolutely correct 10:13. It wasn’t that they weren’t willing. They had had a terrible time in Grenada and were totally exhausted.
Who looks for R&R in an island hit by a devastating hurricane?-methinks -dude-you telling tales out of school.
There were actually two UK ships immediately available, a frigate and an RFA stores ship. If a certain politician hadn’t told them to leave, then the rest of the RN and RFA could have rapidly contributed additional assistance. It is good that Cayman was as self-reliant as possible, but restricting aid in those circumstances allows others to control supplies and indulge in profiteering.
Rubbish. All they had to give us were some tarpaulin and water purification tablets. The British have acknowledged that they did not feel they needed to assist because we could manage without them.
Well the CIG didn’t give me a tarp or anything else for that matter, so what little they did have could have helped no matter how meager it was. There is a saying “Every little bit helps”.
MCkeeva gets blamed for a lot of things and some he deserves — but he was not — and I emphasize was not — responsible for banning the international media. To set the record straight, a state of emergency was declared after Ivan putting the power into the hands of the Governor. He made the decision, and I am sure it was supported, that in the immediate chaotic aftermath, with roads impassable, electricity down, no running water, airport services very limited or non-existent, hotel accommodations restricted, it was not reasonable to add more people. Indeed, the government was ferrying people out of here on free flights to the U.S. However, in very short order, media were allowed in. There was one incident in which a UK journalist, who had authored what some regarded as an unfair TV programme on Cayman, was disallowed. That unfortunate one ruling created the false impression that journalists were being restricted. And I happen to know who it was who made that suggestion, and it was not MCKeeva.
Your comments about Bush and the aid to West Bay are 100% correct and XXXX some very nasty individuals (not all Caymanians) bullied these supplies out of the airport distribution center. People who were working there were terrified.
True 7:35. As you probably know, those of us who were at the airport helping to distribute supplies still talk among ourselves at the politically engineered threatening behavior we were exposed to by some frightening individuals, especially in the immediate aftermath when basic food supplies and bottled water started arriving by air and then later when generators and chainsaws began arriving.
Some serious entitlement attitudes on display today!! Counting what other people in dire need are getting rather than getting off their fat backsides and earning their own crust…Suggest those that don’t like it go volunteer there for a few days…see what its really like….or are you too lazy to do that too??
I’d bet that 80% of this HALF A MILLION Dollars, doesn’t get to where it’s really supposed go.
I don’t remember them sending any aid our way after Ivan…
How’d ya like about 5,000 Syrians?
Disgraceful comment. For once I wish I believed in God, and your eternal damnation.
Interesting comment. You may not be aware that Jamaica is the only place on earth where Jews and Arabs (mainly Syrians and Lebanese in the latter case) live together in harmony. And they, together with the Chinese, are the most successful business owners. One point to note, they are all “one people” having fully assimilated over many generations.
So true. Those 19th C. immigrants brought their respect for education scholarship, and democracy. I’m surprised this isn’t part of the school syllabus.
CNS, Where can we donate supplies to the Dominicans relief effort here in Cayman, is there a designated drop off point? Please let us know asap as we stand by waiting to donate. Thanks.
CNS: If anyone can fill us in on that, we will publish this information.
The Cayman Islands Red Cross has opened an account with Butterfield Bank for the Dominica relief fund. The account number is # 8400350540072.
In this article it says Cayman Airways will fly a plane full of supplies over to them if we put together enough supplies to make the trip worthwhile. I think that is a brilliant thing for Cayman Airways to offer and we should take advantage of that and let us all come together with boxes of supplies to fill a plane load up! People love to give things, not always money. People feel good to give things like food, clothes, towels, toiletries, blankets, they need underwear also. C’mon people, let’s fill a Cayman Airways plane full of help for the Dominica people!!!
I wonder if Matthew Leslie would do another Saturday event for us to drop of donations to for the people of Dominica?
CNS, if you have any more info on how to donate supplies, please let us know? Thanks.
Blessings to you Cayman Islanders, and THANK YOU! We need all the help we can get, because our own efforts will not be enough.
Cyril I hope you are fairing well…you were a very active supporter of our Islands thru CNB and the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman! Thoughts and Prayers to you and your family and safety of the dozens that remain accounted for…
I’m not saying this is not a good cause but WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY FOR THIS. This is so obviously Alden throwing money around without a care in the world because he knows HE WILL NEVER BE REELECTED- just watch how all his “buddies” will benefit from his last while in office now.
You must not have seen the pictures on facebook from the surprise birthday party yet. aaw-leh.
Thank you Cayman Islands for your generosity. May the good Lord bless you 100 fold. Dominica is really in need
“we think it is only right and the Christian thing to do to play our part.”
It is a shame Alden cannot just make the pledge without pandering to Christianity as a reason for the generosity. Yet another conflict . He is saying that without Christianity, no help would be forthcoming . Just another example of him not missing a chance in getting his voters on side for the next election.
The Cayman Islands is a Christian nation. That’s all I have to say to you.
The Cayman Islands are a long way from being a Nation. That is all.
What makes Cayman a Christian nation? Genuine question, I just want to know.
It has to do with the ratio of bars to churches…….
Yep…at least when it’s politically expedient / convenient
Yep, saw all that sassy Cayman Christian love on the gay question, and quite a few on this article too. State and Church is never a good mix.
And you could not miss the opportunity to dismiss our Christian heritage. We are not going away my dear so you might as well get used to it. I pray for you that you will not be so narrow minded.
And single tunnel vision accepting only one possibility taught to you by men who want to control you is not narrow minded? Silly me
Genuine question… Is Christianity a heritage? I.e. you do it because your forefathers did it and you are just repeating it to honor their memory? OR is it an unquestioning belief in the divinity of an ancient man and the accuracy of a book written about him by a few people who may or may not have been present at the time? If its the first one then maybe Its not as plainly ridiculous as I have been lead to believe.
As long as we have a reserve of cash in the event we don’t make it through this hurricane season. It is interesting that the CIG seems to always have a “stash” of cash handy for good PR purposes. Think Ebola preparedness.
I can’t believe people are objecting to this. Foreigners reading this may well remember these comments next time we need help. And it’s not a question of “if” its a question of “when”. Caymankind, God fearing and loving they neighbour.
I am feeling giddy thinking about the hordes of furriners reading the commens section of CNS.
Hi foreigners – i like you – I have been a very good girl this year and even eaten all my vegetables- if there is a hurricane can i have some money please? P.S. My little sister says she would also like some. Xoxo
yea but ppl are here too starving an homeless, wahappen to them? I know its the right thing to do in God eyes but it was the work of God that sent the storm there in the first place, Caymanians are here in their own place of birth starving not from a natural disaster but by a greedy monster of a system that just keeps consuming everything, IVAN was just a warning to us, trust me the worse is yet to come
People are starving here? Perhaps you should go and visit somewhre where starvation actually occurs. We have a problem with obesity here, not starvation
Car loan and new cell phone starvation is 4 REAL!!!
Exactly, the fattest people are around here. Nobody is starving. All of you need to get up and find a job and stop complaining. You all to lazy to cook for your children- just want to pull up at fast food and buy. I would rather send it to Dominica than give some of you because all of you are lazy. Running around with weave and long finger nails all fixed up. Go get a job.
Even the guy who rummages through the garbage cans for food down by the courts is overweight.
I don’t think Bob Geldof is going to fly and start effing and swearing just because you cannot take your breakfast into work any longer!
I would hate to see some inhabitants of Cayman have to survive where there really is a problem.
God told me to tell you to shut up.
Not ordering a meal to be delivered for over three hours or having a nose bag to graze out of at work is hardly going to alert the world food program, emergency distribution team.
Cayman Christianity at its finest.
Must not be gays in Dominica.
Shame on you for bringing something like this and trying to throw negativity into a situation where others lives are at risk. No one is dying in Cayman from being Gay.
Thank you!
Minister Eden would have us believe otherwise.
31 dead. Probably that amount missing and presumed dead. 300 + homes destroyed and communities wiped out…and that’s the best you can do?
Grace = getting something you don’t deserve.
Mercy = not getting what you do deserve.
I’m praying for lots of mercy for you.
Or starving. Or gay and starving.
Obesity though, that’s another whole different ball game.
I am sure they have some over there but at least they are not coming over here to try to get us to change the marriage laws. Some of you seem to have forgotten how many people came from eastern Caribbean, Canada and Bermuda to help us out after Ivan. We were so grateful and now it is our time to reciprocate . The real Caymankind!!
Yes I applaud our dear government and the premier for their generosity 8:24pm but not all are ignorant to whence cometh some peoples political know how. But gifts given with a pure heart will always be blessed.
Blessed are the cheesemakers. Solidarity brother.
How is our conflicted Speaker of the Brac still our Speaker of the House?
The word “conflict” is not in the Speaker’s dictionary.
Thanks for airing
We have issues at home to fix too, why we don’t start here with the donations?
1. Homeless living on the streets and tourists see that when they arrive or walk around.
2. Mental Health Facility which is badly needed.
3. Our Feed our Future could use that for kids who don’t have lunch money because of social issues.
Open your eyes at home first
The government gives thousands to all of you every month and every month the same ones are back to social services. Some of you won’t get up off your blessed assurance and try to help yourselves. The people in Dominica are going through a severe disaster and need our assistance. Only a very selfish person would find a problem with us helping them. God tells us to help others who genuinely need our help. God Bless these Beloved Cayman Islands and its government . thank you very much Mr. Premier. You did the right thing. he who casts their bread upon the waters will find it after many days. kindness begets kindness !!
I have to agree with 6:40. The funds given to them will be used to rebuild, given to some of you here will only mean you buy the latest iphone. Regarding the tourists seeing homeless, rest assured where they are coming from it is MUCH worse, nothing they see here should shock them. Too often we get on here and gripe about what we want the Government to do for us, what are YOU doing to yourself and your community. What volunteer work do you do, what initiatives have you started? Do you even know who your next door neighbor is? There is so much here for US to busy ourselves with in order to better our communal way of life. You act like the Government is going to swoop in and fix your problems, stop with the entitlement and become a part of the solution. With all the moaning on here, I expect to see all of you throwing yours hats in the ring next election – but no that would mean you actually had to do something other than log on and cast vile comments even in the face of a bit of humanity. I guess as long as you pay tithes and put your money in the collection plate you have secured your divine position and can condescend to cast judgment upon everyone else….but your own good book speaks of faith without works……
He who casts his bread upon the waters will return to find that all of the Ducks have had it away.
So Cayman sends 10 dollars for every person on this little rock? If UK Did the same It would be 600,000,000.00 in aid. If US Did the same It would be 3 billion. Think Alden gave to much and he should match contributions from the larger countries. As David Cameron said just a few days re migrant crisis…we must give with a heart but think with a head…
I dont suppose you would tell us what your head is telling your heart is appropriate and demonstrate the courage of your convictions by posting your real name.
Just to put this donation (which is both generous and appropriate and I applaud it) in perspective, UK aid to other countries is around US$18 billion. Equivalent to the Cayman Islands donating around US$12 million p.a. in aid to other nations.
Where’d they find that cash? Under a couch in the LA lunch room?
Funny how they never have funds for local worthy causes unless there is some political angle to be gained.
Funny how the political angle is not so obvious in this case. Would the cynic dare to enlighten us?
The angle in this instance is getting to play God with taxpayer money. It makes a politician feel good to give away money that isn’t his own. And when did the public give the PPM “caucus” the power to determine what to do with public funds anyway?
When the elected the PPM to Govt.
While I am normally very critical of the current PPM government I do have to say that this was a very genuine, charitable move for them. They have my support on this 1000%.
WaYaSay
Well, they have $127K saved from CIFA at least.
You have a very selfish attitude. Jamaica assisted us after Hurricane Ivan. Do you think it was because they were rolling in it and had no needs at home? Do unto others and as you would that they should do unto you.
Same place as the missing billion is kept.
Good thing that.
Consider it a tithe of sorts and we will be blessed 10 fold for our selflessness. Great job Cayman Islands Government!
if we give a tithe to receive 10 times the blessing then we are doing it for selfish reasons, which is not selflessness.
Selflessness is giving with out any hope of “blessings”, and as an anonymous donor.
So why did Jesus tell us to expect hundredfold etc. blessings, then?
then it is not a selfless act then, you are donating for selfish reasons for all those blessings
good job CIG. I am so proud to know that our spirit of helping others in time of disaster is alive and well. God will repay us more that we can comprehend. This is the real Caymankind!!
Do unto others as you would that they do unto you.
There are laws against that, unfortunately.
wha!?
Consider the birds, do they not fly south for the winter?