Ten households will be assisted by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) in repairing their roofs which were damaged by heavy winds last month.
However, Chief Secretary Orville London is warning that the THA should not be expected to take financial responsibility for the damaged caused to homes in such circumstances.
The assembly said it would provide $219,830 worth of materials to assist with repairs to the homes, adding that some of the other cases are still under review.
“We have to make a judgment call as to how we intervene because we cannot function as an insurance company,” London said at a media briefing, yesterday at the Administrative Complex, Calder Hall.
He said some people had voiced concerns about the THA’s response to the damage caused by last month’s inclement weather.
“Disaster relief is how we respond to bring immediate relief to people suffering from disaster. Restoration takes time and it cannot be complete restoration (done exclusively by the THA),” he added.
London said the needs of affected families and the resources available determined the level of relief the assembly can provide. According to the Chief Secretary, many of the houses that were damaged were in a poor state of repair or poorly constructed and were uninsurable.
London said the Tobago Emergency Management Authority (TEMA) dealt with immediate relief when homes suffered damage while the Division of Health and Social Services (DHSS) ensured affected residents received food where necessary.
“TEMA, along with the Division of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (DIPU), and the Division of Health, then begins the lengthy process of evaluating the damage and the resulting situations of affected residents.
“This is done under the supervision of the Office of the Chief Administrator, which is responsible for disaster management. The THA will now look at a policy on disaster relief, outlining how the assembly responds to disaster relief and possibly to limit the amount of assistance “regardless of the circumstances,” he noted.