Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis yesterday responded to requests by some residents to be granted crown land on higher ground.

This request came responsively to Hurricane Joaquin’s massive flooding damage.

“Our interest is making sure that people’s lives are restored to normalcy. If that includes making crown land available on higher land, I’m sure that will be considered by the government.” remarked Halkitis.

The minister explained that he cannot give a definitive answer, but he is certain that if the interest is to get residents in a position to be resettled and to rebuild their lives he is sure “the government would respond to it very quickly.”

Minister Halkitis said the reality of the natural disasters prompts the need for the government, when repairing and rebuilding infrastructure to take into account the severity of future storms.

Just over a week after Hurricane Joaquin’s disaster strike, the government announced that Prime Minister Perry Christie has finalized an Exigency Order.

The order, which was made effective from October 3, will be in motion for 90 days.

The Exigency Order allows affected residents exemption on goods and supplies to aid in their recovery.

However, the time frame of the Exigency Order in the first instance had gone under scrutiny by some who felt the time was insufficient.

Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis, in an interview with The Bahama Journal, said Bahamians should realize that the government has always accommodated the needs of the people.

“The government has always been very accommodating because we realize that people need the chance to accumulate resources and get themselves organized. So I don’t believe that people should become concerned about the number of days,” said Halkitis.

Minister Halkitis additionally responded to a public concern, whether or not the government through the National Emergency Management Agency has the capacity to meet the needs at hand.

“We don’t expect that there will be any long delays, so we are just asking that people take advantage of the Exigency Orders.”
He says the government’s main aim is to get all Bahamians back to a sense of normalcy.