December 7 – A month later |10 January 2024
President Ramkalawan during the press conference
President pleads for patience from disaster victims
By Patsy Canaya
The head of state, President Wavel Ramkalawan, has pleaded to victims of the December 7 disasters to be patient as the authorities handle the biggest calamity the country has ever experienced.
He made the call during a live press conference yesterday at State House to give an update on the incidents, a month after disasters struck, namely heavy rain and flooding in the northern region and an explosion at the Civil Construction Company Limited (CCCL) in Petit Paris, Cascade.
“The explosion happened in a fraction of a second and the flooding happened over few hours. Repairs will not take seconds or hours, it will take a long time,” said the President.
“I understand your frustration and the need to go back to normal, but all our lives were turned upside down. Our staff are working, so be patient,” he stated.
With regard to the investigation into the blast, the President said it is an unprecedented incident, and people need to understand that the investigation is complex and involves both local and international experts. However, it will have progressed by February.
“It is a new experience, so walk with us because our intention is to ensure everything is done properly to help families so their lives could go back to normal.”
The head of state also gave an update on the one-off payment of R25,000, which is being disbursed to 791 families. He said all payments will be completed by this week for a total sum of R19,775,000.
The Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, which was spearheading the payment, has also handled 42 projects under emergency interventions in the northern region, which included, tree-cutting, reinforcing of bridges and riverbanks, excavation work as well as boulder blasting. A sum of R604,528 was spent on these projects, according to him.
“In the northern region, because the disasters were linked to the rain, there are some projects that have not been undertaken. We have not forgotten about them but we need to wait for the soil to dry a bit before undertaking any work,” explained President Ramkalawan.
With regard to the Disaster Relief Fund, the sum remains as per the last update in December at around R35 million. However, a donation of R2 million had to be returned as it was discovered it came from a restricted account, said the president.
He also gave an update on the housing status mainly in Cascade, where 543 were touched, which included 354 which are privately-owned and 189 managed by the Property Management Corporation (PMC). Among the 354 privately-owned homes, 338 needed repairs, while 16 had to be demolished and rebuilt.
As for the 189 units managed by PMC, 177 units needed maintenance and 12 units had to be demolished.
“We have made all the necessary arrangements to demolish the 12 units in Petit Paris and the design has already been sent to the Planning Authority,” he explained.
“Where we are today; 87 are being repaired, 43 have been completed compared to 21 on December 21, last year.”
Out of 32 people who sought their quotes and handed them to government to get things moving, 29 have already been visited.
Out of 354 people that were moved into temporary accommodation on December 7, only 116 remain, said Mr Ramkalawan. Nineteen families were removed from their homes for safety reasons, and these are 79 people including children.
With regard to the Providence Industrial Estate, where 635 businesses were affected, to date 175 have come forward to seek permission to operate their business, and 133 have already received approval.
According to the President some did not come forward as they felt the damages were minor, and there was no need to apply for a certificate while others have moved out of the industrial estate. Fifteen cannot operate for safety reasons as the buildings are in bad state.
The head of state also gave an overview of the insurance claims to date, stating that 89 homes have lodged their claims which totals to R25,860,216.65. To date the insurance companies have settled 13 claims for a sum of R459,222.
As for businesses, 98 made their claims, for a sum of R276,811,292.14. “To date no businesses have received any payment from insurance companies.”
Yesterday’s press conference started with a special commendation to workers of all the entities for their hard work to ensure people’s lives would have a sense of normalcy after the disasters.
He praised them for the personal sacrifices they made since December 7 to attend to the victims. “Seychelles state says a big thank you,” he said.
It should be noted that representatives of all the entities were in attendance.
Laura Pillay/Patsy Canaya
