Tobago flood victims get land

The relieved persons participated in a public lottery at the Fairfield Complex in Bacolet to ascertain the exact plots of land at Louis D’Or and Belle Garden (East Tobago) on which they will begin to rebuild their homes and lives after having waited for over a year.

The lands on which the victims had previously owned homes have now been deemed “red zones” by the Tobago House of Assembly and NEMA. The new plots were distributed according to an assessment of needs which followed a series of interviews conducted by a panel headed by Dr Norrel London, director of Housing and Settlements and as such, three families were also issued plots at Kilgwn and Smthfield in Scarborough.

All of the recipients were given a 99-year lease and will also be given grants of an equal, yet undisclosed, sum that will be accessible through the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company (TTMF) after the signing of the necessary documents.

As well they have been provided with optional housing plans by the Housing Department to eliminate architectural costs. “You have been unfortunate yet you have been fortunate as a result of the disaster because what we have done here has never been done in Trinidad and Tobago or in the region and we cannot and will not be doing it again.

“We are aware that we have a responsibilty to the people of Tobago but this is the last time that the THA would be doing something like this in this manner because it will be the last time we would be able to afford it. There is no other time where we will have a disaster and we will even attempt to respond as comprehensively as we have done now,” Chief Secretary London told the group who had become somewhat frustrated over the long period they were made to wait prior to the distribution. London added that it was imperative that better consideration should be given to insuring properties and where and how they are built as this year’s hurricane season is expected to be more active than the last.

“I feel much better now than before because now my family can move on with our lives. The process took a little longer than I expected but right now I am really happy,” a told Newsday after being issued his plot of land in Belle Garden.