Dear Editor,
On September 3, 2019, Red Cross St. Maarten decided to collect monetary donations to support the Bahamas Red Cross in response to the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. The storm battered the Bahamas and lingered there for more than a day, causing tremendous damage to the island’s homes and infrastructure. It’s vital to understand that Red Cross St. Maarten’s effort intends to complement the support of the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies and other agencies that are also providing aid to the Bahamas.
Red Cross St. Maarten has learned valuable lessons about distributing aid locally, regionally and internationally in the past years. By sharing this information we hope to clarify the current process of emergency relief aid to the Bahamas, so St. Maarten residents understand why we focus on collecting monetary donations instead of in-kind donations. We owe all donors that same courtesy, and we aim for transparency at all times with all parties involved.
As Red Cross we aim to support the affected population as best as possible based upon their local and specific needs. The local authorities and the Bahamas Red Cross with support of the International Federation of Red Cross is currently conducting needs assessments among the affected population. Based upon this data specific requests for donations are already being made. So humanitarian aid is based on what is needed by the affected people first. Unfortunately, many of the well-meaning donations do not match the immediate needs of the people.
Processing unsolicited goods requires an immense amount of manpower and funds. All goods coming in need to be cleared through Customs, transported to local warehouses, checked for quality standards, sorted according to type, size and expiration date and eventually distributed. When you’re short on helping hands and funds you don’t want to be sorting piles of clothes while people have no access to safe drinking water. The aid needs to be well targeted and fast. This can only be done if we are absolutely certain that the goods coming in are actually requested and fit the quality standards of the affected country. We don’t want to burden the local responders with goods they haven’t requested at the moment, are not culturally appropriate or don’t match minimum quality standards.
The devastation at the Bahamas is enormous, this also affected the different supply routes to the disaster areas. Local airports have been shut, boats and harbors are seriously damaged, roads are flooded or filled with debris, warehouses are destroyed. Taking into account this limited local logistics capacity, the ‘pipeline’ gets congested quickly. During previous disasters runways were clogged with boxes of unsorted clothes and food, preventing essential supplies to be delivered. Therefore, priority is given to the most critical supplies first as requested by the local authorities and agencies.
We also need to think about the cost of transport of goods. Transport of goods is costly and time consuming. Why spending thousands of dollars on shipping water from one island to another while relief organizations can purify a multiple volume of water locally using less funds. Or why flood the local markets with imported food items if local markets or local production eventually re-established providing income to local merchants or farmers.
To ensure support to our sister Red Cross in the Bahamas, we are collecting monetary donations to give to the Bahamas Red Cross, via the International Federation of Red Cross, so that those agencies, on the ground, can react swiftly and appropriately to the most urgent needs.
Red Cross St. Maarten made a conscious decision not to send food and clothing supplies without a formal request from the Bahamas Red Cross to avoid burdening relief workers and volunteers with unrequested aid. Also, we believe that the provision of cash to local aid organizations helps them in adapting their response options based upon the local context, supporting their freedom of choice and dignity as local actors.
When can Red Cross St. Maarten send food and clothing supplies?
We will send food and clothing supplies when there is a request from Bahamas Red Cross.
Why are we collecting monetary donations locally rather than having the money sent directly to Bahamas?
Red Cross St. Maarten acknowledges that the Bahamas services will be interrupted after the storm. Receiving cash donations or bank transfers is to ensure that we can provide funds for purchasing items that are based on a Needs Assessment.
Why is it necessary to do a Needs Assessment?
A Needs Assessment ensures that Red Cross and other agencies are collecting and providing the correct type of aid to affected people.
What happens after a Needs Assessment?
Usually, agencies on the ground submit formal requests to cohorts regionally and internationally for assistance in meeting the needs captured in an assessment.
Duane Robin
Netherlands Red Cross – St. Maarten
Dear Editor,
This is an article to clarify and clear the Club High Up owner’s name from the incident that took place on November 18, 2018, on Simpson Bay Road.
I didn’t testify or give a statement identifying no 1. I was working in the bar when the incident occurred on the road. I was asked to come in at the station about the incident.
When I was asked about a Rastafarian man, a skinny person and a broad-shouldered man, of which hundreds of people in the club fit the description, I told them I don’t know who they’re talking about. They brought a sheet of paper with six people on it, asking if I know them. I responded, “No, first time seeing them.” Then they told me two had died the following night in a different incident. I again told them I don’t know anyone in the picture. Then they said it was okay to go.
I didn’t have any knowledge of a court case nor have I ever been in the Courthouse to testify, so I just want to make it clear that I have nothing to do with that incident.
Owner High Up Club
Simpson Bay
Dear Editor
I left the town hall meeting about the erosion and road projects which was held on Wednesday, September 4, with mixed feelings. It is without a doubt that the impressive way the strengthening of the cliff under Fort Oranje is being dealt with has received admiration by many of us. The acrobatic work that the workers of a French company with the suitable name of Acrobat X are performing, last weekend even supported by a helicopter, is quite astonishing.
Calling the progress of the roads, in particular the Cherry Tree road project, disappointing seems an understatement. I guess that the call for information to the public to explain as to why the roads in this area have still not been surfaced was actually the main reason why this first town hall meeting in 2019 has been called by the Kingdom Commissioner. The project was originally scheduled to be completed by the end of June. A new completion date in the meantime has been set for March 2020. The reason given for this delay in the newspaper was that materials were not available.
In the town hall meeting it was made known that there was a disagreement between Dutch contractor Koop and the supervisor, consultancy firm Royal Haskoning, about the grade of the cement to be used for the top layer of the roads. On the question why it took about eight months to come to a solution for this issue Mr. Franco explained that it took time to convince the one who pays the bills (which is BZK) of the need for a change. He did not want to reiterate further as that would be crying over spilled milk. This spilled milk, however, is the reason that more than one year and a half after the intervention by The Hague, and the local government has been put aside, there are still no roads built on Statia.
After some inquiries I learned that the supervisor requires UK certified cement as well as other building materials such as steel bars. One can imagine that this grade might be standard in Europe but not easily available in this part of the world. Haskoning, however, insisted as this UK quality was needed to build maintenance-free roads. Their representative was not able to convince the audience in the town hall meeting that such roads really exist.
The need for maintenance-free roads was necessary to make it possible that Statia’s yearly budget of one million dollars for road maintenance can be used for construction of new roads instead, clarified Mr. Franco. According to the director of Infrastructure, Mr. Reid, it is government’s intention that eventually all roads on Statia will be dealt with.
The same company, Royal Haskoning, in a report a few years ago, calculated that for this approximately 50 million dollars is required. Knowing that after the Cherry Tree project and the construction of the Jeems Road the available budget of 5.6 million dollars is about depleted I guess everyone can do the math and figure out how long this process will take if no additional budget becomes available.
During the town hall meeting and also at the end questions were raised by the audience about the choice of drainage system used for the Cherry Tree road project. The only argument brought in for this was that the supervisor, being Haskoning, decided that this is the best solution. Seeing our experience in the past with, among others, the poor job delivered by Dutch construction company MNO with the construction of our public water distribution network, supervised by a German consultancy firm, and the poorly constructed police station, the lesson learned should be not to accept advice of these companies at face value. Therefore also the suggestion by someone in the audience to make more use of local expertise should not be ignored.
Koos Sneek
Dear Editor,
The following is a prayer we say during the hurricane season every Sunday at the Anglican church. "Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of Heaven and earth, grant unto us, your suppliant people, protection against hurricane, earthquake, volcano, tsunami, tornado and other calamities, that in tranquillity of weather we may rejoice in the comfort we ever desire, and may always make right use of your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen,"
We have had our share of hurricanes over the years. As has become customary at the end of every hurricane season, we come together in a combined service to give thanks to our Lord for taking care of us during the past season. I have seen the ravages of Dorian and I am calling on the people of this island to not wait until the end of the hurricane season, but to repeat that prayer daily.
I am aware of scepticism and also of atheists, but I am also aware of the saying: "Nothing beats a failure but a trial" or "No you have, yes you can get" . So, with that faith, if we say that prayer or whatever other prayer for protection and tranquil. By doing this as often as possible with dedication and conviction during the hurricane season, hopefully we'll make more believers.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
This narrative is not meant to pass any judgment on the developments regarding the “Hapgood” case on Anguilla.
It is meant to state in a neutral manner, I allege just as the aforementioned individual can use a wide network of high profile global public relations, print and mass media organizations to channel and share his version of the incident that happened at his hotel on Anguilla with such headlines as “Vacation Violence”, by the same token Anguillians, their friends and supporters should have the ability to have freedom of expression, to share their views and break the cycle of pain, rather than internalize it.
Truth be told, I allege anyone who viewed those evening news reports and press conferences on the aforementioned incident probably more than likely they came to the conclusion that there was nothing spared, but rather it seemed like an attempt to smear the image of the deceased and the island nation of Anguilla in the court of public opinion ... just saying.
So, being a former youthful freedom fighter, I have become sensitized to any attempts to calm our folk down, when they should be permitted to express themselves peacefully to let it out, rather than to be pummelled to be calmed down by what appear to be some self-righteous gag orders, because someone has an issue with what they may have to say.
And I do believe most folk are well aware and do not need to be reminded that the courts will be the ultimate judge in the abovementioned matter. So, in the meantime, there are two sides to every story, so let our folk peacefully have their say.
Just saying.
Name withheld at author’s request.
