Kingdom Representative visits Statia and Saba

Kingdom Representative Gilbert Isabella visited St. Eustatius and Saba last weekend. The purpose of the visit was to take note of the situation on the islands after the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Isabella arrived on St. Eustatius on Friday, September 22th, the first stop of his visit to the Windward Islands. He was received by acting Governor Julian Woodley. After that, a brief consultation with the acting Governor took place in his position as chairman of the crisis team. He also spoke with the crisis coordinator Edris Bennett. Isabella was also present at a thank you b.b.q. held at  the Fire Department.  There the Bonaire firefighters and the marines were thanked for their support and enormous commitment during the passage of both Irma and Maria. Furthermore, the Kingdom Representative made an island tour to see for himself what damage there was after Maria’s passage.

On Saturday, Isabella and his information manager/ lawyer (during the crisis) traveled to Saba to talk to the Island Governor and his crisis team about the way Sabans experienced the storm and about the damage.

The bare sight upon arrival at Saba, the impact on nature and the damage that was caused to houses, made a deep impression. In conversation with a resident, in his home where the roof was ripped off, it was painful to imagine what the damage to this family was. And so there are many more.

From the office of the Kingdom Representative, before, during and after the passage of the hurricanes, support has been given to the islands’ requests for assistance, requests to the Ministry of Defense, the National Crisis Center and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

Isabella: “It is unimaginable what damage has been caused to people’s personal property, the power of this natural violence and the impact on the daily lives of the residents of Statia and Saba. In addition to all personal loss, economic damage will also follow for many entrepreneurs and their employees. We cannot let our Kingdom partners go through this alone. “