CABINET NOTES: The Cabinet held discussions about the effects of Tropical Storm Phillipe on Antigua and Barbuda.
First, it dumped more than 8 inches of rain in Antigua and caused many dams and reservoirs to fill up.
Potworks Dam, capable of holding 1.2 billion gallons of water, is about one-third (1/3) full; with daily extractions, the stored water will last more than 3 months.
The Minister of Public Utilities noted that the Fort James R/O plant, The Crabbs R/O plant, The Ivan Rodriguez R/O plant, The Ffryes R/O plant, Pigeon Point R/O plant and Camp Blizzard R/O plant, Big Creek and Potworks Dam will be capable of producing nearly 9 million Gallons daily.
It is estimated that demand for APUA water will fall below 8 Million gallon daily.
APUA will not be rationing water after the soil in the run-off settles.
More rain is expected from another tropical storm which is forming in the open Atlantic.
2.i. The Cabinet invited Carlo Falcone to its meeting; he is the owner of the Antigua Yacht Club that was burnt to the ground on Tuesday morning, following a lighting strike during the passage of tropical storm Philippe.
The estimate of the destruction has not yet been calculated but will run in the millions; his insurance company dispatched an investigator there to examine the damage and to make an assessment.
The work of the Fire Department received strong applause from both the Cabinet and the private property owner.
The Fire Department saved other neighbouring properties which were in danger of catching fire from the heat.
The Cabinet expressed its thankfulness to the firefighters who were always in danger because of lightning strikes, high wind gusts and the waves which tried to knock them into the sea.
2.ii. In its review of the harm and damage caused by tropical storm Philippe, the Cabinet applauds the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), and the Antigua Public Utility Authorities (APUA), especially its Department of Electricity, its linesmen and those other APUA staff who ventured out into the rain and wind to repair lines and to restore electricity to homes and businesses on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Praises were also heaped on the heads of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF), and the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB), the Public Works Department (PWD), National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), the Central Board of Health (CBH), The Sir Lester Bird Medical Center (SLBMC), and the managers of the Shelters that were opened on Monday to accommodate those who live in flood-prone neighborhoods.
The Cabinet also thanked the men and women from the Ministry of Agriculture who went out to assess the damage to farmers’ fields and to determine the loss which they suffered from excessive rainfall and wind.
“While the average loss for an individual producer has been estimated to be minimal– owing to the nascent land preparation stage of farm operation– wet conditions, since the rains, could lead to crop decay and may also set the stage for disease-development in wounded plants. “ (AED Report)
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People! People! People! Lets get serious…..Any government after five years of governance that cannot provide/supply the citizens with the second basic commodity of life (oxygen/air being the first), should never be given an opportunity to govern our bit of Paradise again. Maybe its just me but what is it that prevents APUA from cleaning out PotWorks dam, excavate and compact the bottom, use the excavated mater to strengthen/raise the dykes so the it can retain water. Where are the civil/water engineers employed by government agencies. Why not perform some Geotech testing (soil & compaction) using the results to compile recommended specification for the project. Yes we really had some heavy downpour and if PotWorks can catch that much water, it serves as a testament that the channels are there for receiving but hindered with retaining. CLEAN OUT THE DAMN DAM. THE WATER WOES HAVE GOTTEN FROM BAD TO WORST with each successive government. This should concern each and every living being in our bit of Paradise.
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