Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley visited the Bridgetown Fisheries today to meet with fisherfolks and assess the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl.
Observing the damage and debris, Mottley expressed concern for public safety.
“I am walking and seeing too much damage and too much debris that can cause someone to end up at A&E or casualty this afternoon. Therefore, we are asking police to put caution tape, and no one who has no business out there should be out there.”
Mottley announced plans to begin cleaning the area to ensure safe working conditions, but due to murky and rough waters, diving operations to assess submerged boats have been delayed.
“We cannot do any assessment today to get the boats out of in here, the ones that could be salvage, because I am told that we do not know what is underneath there at the mouth and therefore those who can dive says they will dive, but they can’t do it today because the water is too murky and too rough.”
Emphasizing the urgency of salvaging undamaged boats, due to the impending tropical system approaching the island, Mottley urged those at Port St. Charles and Port Ferdinand to remain in their locations to facilitate orderly operations.
“We were told that there are still a few boats that have not been damaged and we need to be able to safely get those boats out and put them into the inner careenage.”
The chief fisheries officer is coordinating the assessment efforts.
“If we do not know your damage, we can’t begin to assess what is the total damage the industry has had. At this point in time, this is just a fact-collecting exercise”, she stated.
