T&T ships relief items to the Bahamas

During the period 2^nd – 4^th September. 2019, Hurricane Dorian unleashed its destructive power on the Commonwealth of Bahamas and in particular, the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. Following the passage of the hurricane, Trinidadians and Tobagonians once again demonstrated their generosity for their Caribbean neighbours and donated critically needed relief supplies to assist in relieving the suffering and hardships of those affected.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) of the Ministry of National Security, coordinated the national relief effort and after approximately 5 weeks, on Thursday, 17 October 2019, a vessel carrying 7 containers with over 115 tonnes of supplies, sailed from the Port of Point Lisas for the Bahamas.

Shipment of relief items from T&T to the Bahamas – From l to r – Riad Gouridath, Sales Manager of Tropical Shipping; Major General (Ret’d) Rodney Smart, CEO of the ODPM; Dr Elaine Davis, Honorary Consul for the Bahamas; Clint Duncan, Manager Cargo Handling, Point Lisas Industrial Port, Plipdeco; Elena Villafana-Sylvester, CEO of FEEL; and Lt. Colonel Patrick Gomez, TTDF’s Director of Strategic Logistics.

Witnessing the loading of the vessel was the Honorary Consul for the Bahamas, Dr. Elaine  Davis, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ODPM, Major General (Ret’d) Rodney Smart; Lt. Colonel Patrick Gomez, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force’s (TTDF) Director of Strategic Logistics; Mrs. Elena Villafana-Sylvester, CEO of the Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life (FEEL); Mr. Riad Gouridath, Sales Manager of Tropical Shipping; and Mr. Clint Duncan, Manager of Cargo Handling, Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation Limited (PLIPDECO).

Major General (Ret’d) Smart also took the opportunity to thank all citizens and organisations that partnered with the ODPM to provide foodstuff, water, hygiene products, building supplies, equipment, tools, manpower, warehousing facilities, transportation and financial assistance. He also thanked the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) for the organisation’s role in assisting with the cost of transporting the items by sea.