Guyanese begin returning home from hurricane-ravaged countries

The first batch of evacuated Guyanese from the hurricane-hit British Virgin Islands (BVI) returned home on Monday aboard a Trans Guyana Airways flight and were welcomed by Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Citizenship Minister Winston Felix, Civil Defence Commission head Chabilall Ramsarup and representatives of Trans Guyana Airways.
As the Trans Guyana Airways flight landed at the Eugene F Correia International Airport on Monday and brought with it three adults and seven children, tears of joy began to flow coupled with sighs of relief from relatives.
Those evacuated from the hurricane-ravaged island are Randy Ragnauth, Avril De Santos, Nanshalee Foxe, Brianna Foxe, Nia Ashanti Gill, Rhondalisa Flatts-Gill, Jared Newman, Janice Callwood, Coran Penn and Cameron Foxe.
Minister Harmon was there to welcome them home and noted that it was the second flight that brought Guyanese home. He said in the coming days, there will be more flights facilitated by Trans Guyana Airways and Jags Aviation to bring Guyanese home. He said Government is working to have the flights returning Guyanese home completed by this weekend.
Additionally, Harmon indicated that returning citizens who do not have any relatives or place to stay would be given accommodation at the Hugo Chávez Centre in West Berbice.
“Once the news got around that we are bringing people home the number of persons in St Martin moved from 43 to 116. We understand that will happen and people now have a clear understanding that the Government of Guyana is working with the Private Sector and we are going to do everything in our power to ensure that our citizens are cared for,” Harmon told reporters.
Meanwhile, Minister Felix explained that the Ministry is focused on assisting citizens who lost their personal documents while adding that they are also focused on getting the right documents for children who need to attend school. “We will be assessing the documentation needs for those who lost their passports and birth certificates and generally for information purposes to have an idea of all who return. There are children whose schooling must be addressed and that information would be collected soon. We will continue interviewing them and do all that are necessary,” Felix said.
During the hurricane, Guyanese businessman Derek Ragnauth lost his life. His son, Randy, was one of the evacuees and told reporters that he experienced storms before but the hurricane was beyond his imagination.
He said during the storm, he was at his sister’s home and that although the house was protected, the force of the winds destroyed the building. He added that his father had stayed behind at his business and the following morning they learnt of his death. Several of the relatives of the evacuees said that they are thankful for the assistance rendered and are now putting into place systems to make them more comfortable.