KRALENDIJK- On Bonaire many approving voices can be heard when it comes to the actions and leadership of Acting Island Governor Nolly Oleana during the storm threat of Wednesday.

Oleana was in fact somewhat alone, because the entire Executive Council, Lieutenant Governor Edison Rijna and most of the island councilors stayed in the Netherlands to attend the annual congress of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG).

Oleana received a lot of praise on various social media on Thursday. Residents said they appreciated Oleana’s clear action, along with the crisis team and crisis coordinator Christopher Frans.

Radio and TV personality Tino de Palm put it this way on his personal Facebook page: “A huge sense of appreciation for Acting Governor Nolly Oleana for the way he led the entire operation to prepare the island for a possible storm. Whether the preparations could have started earlier or not, he made time at any time of the day to organize and run things and was constantly available to provide everyone with relevant information. Thank you Mr Oleana, you are a great man”.

Many residents could fully agree with the positive words of De Palm and contributed their own money. Indeed, it was noticeable that Oleana made a clear commitment, was clear in his communication and quickly and professionally took charge of the crisis team.

Language

Although most residents are satisfied with the preparations for the stormy weather that eventually stayed away, there were also points of criticism. In particular, residents who do not speak Papiamentu felt that the information from the press conferences should also have been given in Dutch and English.

Incidentally, that message also seemed to have reached the crisis team itself. In the second press conference on Wednesday morning, Oleana also gave some explanation in Dutch.