Black Immigrant Daily News

Photo: Tenille Hendy – Deputy Chair, Damage Assessments & Needs Analysis Committee

Deputy Chair of the Damage Assessments Committee, Tenille Hendy, says witnessing first-hand the extent to which families have been affected by the storm has been heartwrenching.

by Khaila GentleBELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 14, 2022

The Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Committee has been on the ground working since the day after Hurricane Lisa made landfall. For the past ten days, they have been assessing the levels of damage caused by Lisa countrywide, and according to the Committee’s Deputy Chair, Tenille Hendy, some 3,000 assessments have been completed, with 2,500 of those being in Belize City.

According to Hendy, public officers working with the committee have seen varying levels of damage, especially in Belize City. The assessment scale used includes four levels of damage: Damage 1, which means there was little significant damage; Damage 2, or Minor Damage; Damage 3, or Major Destruction; and Damage 4, or Total Destruction.

“We’re seeing a variety of structures being affected differently … I would say that the wooden structures have taken a beating. We are seeing [structures] sized 10×10 going right up. Those are the structures that have taken a beating—made out of plycem or some combination of wood and concrete or wood itself,” she explained.

Of all the homes assessed in Belize City, Hendy says that 280 of them can be categorized as having undergone Total Destruction, and as assessments continue, that number may increase. The committee also found that many of the homes severely affected or completely destroyed by Lisa were wooden structures with zinc roofs.

“Since we started last week Thursday, every day we have had more than 40 public officers out conducting damage assessments, and they did not rest over the weekend. We also have the help of the BDF. It would be remiss of me to not mention them, because they have also been out with us doing foot patrols as well,” said Hendy.

And while the restless days on foot patrol may be tiring for the officers, witnessing the effects of Hurricane Lisa on families across the country has been emotional, to say the least.

“At 8 Miles, we had a family who thought that their home was safe, and throughout the storm, it just unfolded and they sustained broken limbs, and they don’t have any family, or anybody else, so they’re basically in dire straits. The same in La Democracia, we had somebody just happy that they got a new home, and then the hurricane came and took it away. They are expecting a child, and they are living out of a car,” she said.

“You know we complain about not having water, or electricity in times like these. People don’t have clothes; they don’t have somewhere to stay,” she later added.

According to Hendy, the committee’s database is currently indicating that there are a total of 500 affected families, though this is not the official tally, as assessments are still ongoing.

The public officers who have been conducting assessments, Hendy says, have been stirred by what they’ve seen and have personally wanted to help out affected families, but for the time being, in their capacity as members of the Disaster Assessment and Needs Analysis Committee, the best they can do is pass their data onto the other NEMO committees that are responsible for providing disaster relief.

Along with the assessments, the committee has also been receiving reports from other committees and sectors of Government, all of which will ultimately be compiled to produce the official national report on the destruction caused by Hurricane Lisa.

“So all these different sectors—all of them, educational, government, everybody. As much data as is submitted to us, we include in that report as the national report, because that will be the report ultimately that says what was the impact the country sustained,” Hendy said.

The Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis Committee is one of thirteen special committees operating under the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). Another such committee is the Relief Supply Management Committee. Last week, in an article dated Monday, November 7, we reported on the assistance that that committee has been providing to the residents of Belize City. In the article, Chairperson Ganesha Smith explained that the committee had already provided some 5,000 food and cleaning supply packages to families.

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ORANJESTAD – Departamento di Obra Publico ta informa pueblo di Aruba en general y specialmente automobilista y peatonnan tocante e construccion

pa pone tubo pa mehora e collector riool entre Costa Linda y Screaming Eagle Restaurant na J.E Irausquin Blvd.

            E construccion pa mehora e collector riool entre Costa Linda y Screaming Eagle Restaurant lo keda cla den dos fase.

            Den e prome fase lo coba den e trottoir pa pone e tubonan for di O Condominiun te cu Screaming Eagle Restaurant , sigui pa e siguiente fase cu ta e construccion pa pone tubo den e median.

            E trabaonan aki a inicia caba dialuna dia 14 di november 2022 y lo tin un duración di 30 dia di trabao. 

            DOW lo mester cera e caminda parcialmente na haltura di e parkinglot na altura di Coco Loco y tambe na e crusada di Screaming Eagle Restaurant pa por haci e crusada y e conexión necesario.  

            Den transcurso di e simannan cu ta bin lo informa riba e progreso di trabao y e fecha nan exacto di ceramento pa e trabao nan lo mester tuma luga.

            En conexion cu esaki Departamento di Obra Publico ta haci un peticion na tur  peaton y manehador di auto pa tene cuenta cu e trabao nan cu ta tuma luga.

            Pa cual ta pidi tur automobilista, hotel  negoshinan y otro usuarionan comprension y disculpa pa cualkier inconveniencia cu e trabao nan por ocasiona.

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Camara di Comercio mustrando cu:

ORANJESTAD (AAN):   Recientemente Camara di Comercio y Industria (KvK) a manda un carta na Gobierno di Aruba encuanto e intencion di Gobierno pa introduci un salario minimo te cu maximo di Afl. 4.166 pa luna pa director cu ta accionista tambe (director/accionista).

            KvK a compronde cu e intencion di Gobierno pa introduci e norma aki ta pa ricibi mas entrada di impuesto. E pregunta den esaki ta si en berdad a haci estudio cu Departamento di Impuesto (DIMP) no ta ricibi e impuesto cu e tin derecho riba dje, cual no a wordo duna ainda door di Gobierno. E cambio, caminda ta obliga e director/accionista pa otorga su mes un entrada minimo di suma masha halto en bes di cobra e impuesto riba dividend (cual ta actualmente 10%), lo trece un peso di impuesto aun mas grandi pa e compania. Di prome, dividend ta wordo paga solamente ora tin ganashi.

            E salario minimum ta obliga sin importa si bo tin ganashi. Den esaki no a tende cuenta cu e efecto financiero. E areglo aki lo ta funesto  pa compania chikito/mediano, como tambe pa un compania cu ta conta cu mas cu un director/accionista. Den esaki e obligacion no ta tene cuenta si e director ta traha of ta director di mas compania.

            Segun ley buki 2 Codigo Civil e compania tin e libertad di determina si e relacion entre e compania y e director/accionista ta tambe un relacion  laboral. Pues e decision aki no ta den man di Gobierno. Gobierno por dicidi un salario minimo pa tur trahado segun ley di salario minimo, pero e ley no ta duna Gobierno e derecho pa dicidi pa fiha un suma mas halto pa e director/accionista. Esaki ta bay en contra di e principio di igualdad (“gelijkheidsbeginsel”).

            Ta di remarca tambe cu e peso di e gastonan colectivo a aumenta drasticamente e ultimo añanan y cu e clima empresarial y di inversion na Aruba ya caba no ta faborabel.

            E introduccion di e salario ficticio door di Gobierno pa director/accionista lo deteriora esaki aun mas ya cu no ta rendabel ni sostenibel y por ta hasta desastroso pa un compania si e mester cede 50% di su entrada (esey kemen tur placa cu ta drenta) pa cubri solamente e salario di director/accionista.

            No lo keda espacio pa cubri e demas gastonan di negoshi (e.o. gastonan di e productonan cu e ta bende, di personal, prima social, pensioen, BBO/BAZV, awa y coriente, huur, impuesto indirecto, etc.).

            Por premira cu e entrada di Gobierno lo aumenta na inicio pa un periodo cortico, pero esaki lo disminui structuralmente ya cu hopi negoshi, specialmente chikito/mediano, no lo por carga pa usa 50% di e entrada pa paga director/accionista y lo mester stop nan operacion of kita trahado.

            E desaroyo aki lo frena e capacidad pa habri negoshinan nobo ya cu den cuminsamento tur entrada ta bay pa paga pa e inversion. Ademas, no a wordo specifica si e limite di salario pa e director/accionista ta conta pa tur e companianan colectivo den cual e persona ta fungi como director/accionista of si lo conta 1 salario pa cada compania apart.

            Banda di esaki, e norma aki lo encera mas tarea pa DIMP ya cu e Inspector di Impuesto lo ta encarga pa prueba y verifica cu e suma di salario ta di acuerdo cu e 50% di e entrada di e compania tur luna y e impuesto ta corecto. Ta bay controla tur luna?.

            Pues ta e pregunta si DIMP ta conta cu e capacidad pa por efectua e tarea aki. Mas ainda cu pa ley laboral no ta posibel pa tur luna cambia e salario dependiendo cuanto a produci of a bende e luna ey.

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Charles Caudrelier (Maxi Edmond de Rothschild) a remporté à sa première participation la Route du Rhum, célèbre course transatlantique en solitaire, mercredi à Pointe-à-Pitre, en un temps record de 6 jours 19 heures et 47…

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