Chamber: Abaconians still waiting for comprehensive recovery plan from govt
Residents of Central Abaco are still waiting for the government to update them on the state of their hurricane-ravaged towns, according to Abaco Chamber of Commerce Director Krista Albury, who added that there will be no massive improvement in Marsh Harbour until its main strip is fully cleared of debris and a comprehensive plan is presented.
“We desperately need some kind of town hall between the authority (Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction) and local government,” said Albury.
“There has yet to be a town hall held in Central Abaco and there has been nothing in Marsh Harbour, Dundas Town and Murphy Town.”
She explained that while there is work being done on the island, there seems to be a lack of manpower, which is slowing down the work. There is also a lack of communication from government, which is frustrating the island’s residents.
“We cannot fault them for the slow work when you’re asking a monumental task from just a few workers,” Albury said.
“There’s still not a whole lot from those in power that you can see.”
She explained that the island’s residents simply want timelines for restoration and debris cleanup from government.
She said the Abaco Chamber held its own town hall meeting to try and answer some of the residents’ questions, but conceded that government officials were needed.
“We held a town hall at the beginning of December to give as much answers as we could, but without the government we could not give much answers,” said Albury.
“There’s no timeline on when we can get our lives back.
“I would just like any of them to come and tell us what the plan is. We would like to know what the master plan is for Central Abaco.”
Albury said almost five months is too long for Abaconians to wait for the government to give them an update on the plan for their island.
“No one is coming to say a word,” she said.
She said she is hopeful that the new Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction will come and talk to Abaco’s residents.
“Hopefully one of their first acts is to come and talk to us and see what we need,” she said.
Chester Robards
Education: Florida International University, BS in Journalism
Latest posts by Chester Robards (see all)
- Chamber: Abaconians still waiting for comprehensive recovery plan from govt - December 27, 2019
- Most Abaconians left island during Christmas holiday - December 27, 2019
- Central Bank: Modest uptick in 2019, subdued growth in 2020 - December 24, 2019
