Gov’t fixed 405 houses in S. Grenadines, Brewster tells Parliament

The government has fixed 405 homes in the Southern Grenadines that were damaged by Hurricane Beryl on July 1, 2024, Minister of Housing Orando Brewster told Parliament on Thursday.

“If I had a magic wand, I would have fixed every single house by July 2,” he told lawmakers as he responded to a question from Southern Grenadines MP, Terrance Ollivierre, an opposition lawmaker.

“But, nonetheless, I don’t have that,” Brewster, a preacher, further said, adding that even God, “who could have called things into being, took six days to labour and that one day to rest”.

Brewster said the government was not yet at the point “where we want to rest, because we have more work to do”.

In his question, Ollivierre said approximately 98% of housing in the Southern Grenadines was damaged or destroyed during the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

He said the Supplementary Estimates approved after the storm allocated finance to assist in the rebuilding process.

Ollivierre had asked Brewster to give an estimation of the total spent to date on rebuilding of homes, the number or percentage of homes built to date and the criteria used to prioritise rebuilding of these homes.

The housing minister told Parliament that the Treasury receipts as of Dec. 31, 2024, as it relates to the Ministry of Housing, show that approximately EC$40 million was spent on housing.

“Of that amount, over 15 million was spent in the Southern Grenadines,” Brewster said. 

“I hear the talk about nothing happening in the Southern Grenadines. And everybody had their time to talk. But I have to talk now, and I have to speak the fact of the matter.”

Brewster said that EC$15 million the government spent in the Southern Grenadines was different from what British financier Ian Wace had spent in the constituency.

“So, the number is more when we talk about the rebuilding of homes,” Brewster said, adding that while the government received support from CK Greaves and Co. Ltd., Coreas and Sol, it had to pay for labour.

Brewster further said the level of damage to buildings in the Southern Grenadines were levels 3 and 4 — with level 4 damage requiring demolition.

“The level threes and fours — and I said this in this honourable house before — they are going to take some time for us to rebuild.”

The housing minister further said that some houses that were assessed to have had a particular level of damages, were later found to be worse than first thought.

“Thus far in the Southern Grenadines, we have repaired, rebuilt, built 405 homes. We have touched over 405 homes in the Southern Grenadines,” Brewster said, adding that at the end of 2024, there were 52 projects ongoing in the constituency.

“The level threes and fours, HLDC (Housing and Land Development Corporation) has spent significant time on the ground. They are ready to roll by mid-January,” Brewster said.

“With these homes, 85 has been earmarked. They are working on contracts as we speak. So, by mid-January, we would see some of the major structures on the level threes and fours getting the needed attention.”

He said the supplementary estimates approved in July following the cyclone allocated EC$12.5 million to housing.

“… the significant amount of these materials, over half of this amount, was sent to the Southern Grenadines,” Brewster said.

“There are challenges and we acknowledge the challenges. … We said over and over, we have challenges with contractors.”

Brewster noted the clean-up that had to be done after the storm.

He said that in Union Island, it started on July 12 and ended on Sept. 10 and in Mayreau, it was from July 15 to Aug. 10.

“Are we supposed to be reckless and careless while the clean-up is going on? “… that is following OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards, to go in and build while they’re cleaning up?” Brewster said.

He said approximately $25 million was spent on the clean-up.

Brewster noted that to rebuild the damaged homes in the Southern Grenadines, building materials had to be bought and shipped from Kingstown. 

“We know everything has to be shipped from the mainland. One of the challenges is the proximity to materials. And we know that. Let us not play with this thing, man. We know how this thing going.”

The minister said approximately EC$3.7 million was spent on transporting materials to the Grenadines.

“That’s part of the rebuilding. Those are numbers too. So, there are challenges, but we’re spending the money and we’re doing the work…

“I will make the point that we will get it done in the Southern Grenadines. We will continue and we will ramp up the work. It’s happening right now.”

He said the government has prioritised the most vulnerable, including the elderly and families of elderly people, people with medical challenges and large families — especially those with children, people in shelters and people with disabilities.