No estimate of what Hurricane Irma will cost the country in damage on the heels of another major storm that is threatening to hit southern islands impacted only two weeks ago by a category five hurricane, according to Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes.

Mr. Foulkes told The Bahama Journal yesterday that the largest expense so far, in the absence of damage assessment figures, is what would have been incurred through the evacuation process.

“We are beginning to receive all of the invoices, especially from the air transit part, which is the largest of the expense,” Mr. Foulkes said.

“All of the shelters and all of the foods supplies, clothing, toiletries were donated, including the shelter itself.

“So, we have incurred very little expense from that point of view.

“Out of the close to 1,500 persons who actually evacuated, about 90 percent of them were housed by family and friends, so there was absolutely no expense.”

Mr. Foulkes said the airlines that evacuated persons from the southern islands will be submitting invoices to the appropriate office.

“So, basically, we are waiting for the cost for the airline. The airline is the main thing,” he said.

When asked, considering the damage and devastation that Hurricane Irma left across the southern islands and the Caribbean and the fact that Hurricane Maria followed closely behind almost following Irma’s path, what the country will receive from the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), Mr. Foulkes said he is confident that The Bahamas will receive its share of relief efforts.

“The majority of the contributions that are coming in from NGOs and the other countries of the Caribbean region are going directly to CARICOM,” Mr. Foulkes said.

“The chair of CARICOM, the Prime Minister of Grenada, as you know came to The Bahamas and he did a site inspection especially of Ragged Island and he will make his report and his recommendation.

“I don’t want to presume what he is going to say, but I’m sure that The Bahamas will get our representative share of any contributions coming in from the relief effort.”

Southern islands of Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Islands, Long Cay, Samana Cay, and the Turks and Caicos Island are preparing yet again for another major hurricane.