PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, May 01 2015 – Trinidad and Tobago is donating US$150,000 via the Red Cross to Nepal to assist in rebuilding efforts following a devastating earthquake that killed more than 5000 people and injured 11,000.
Communications Minister Vasant Bharath said that Nepal has estimated its long-term rebuilding cost at US$5 billion.
This country joins several others who have all donated money to Nepal.
Bharath said he had been asked by the media recently if T&T would be contributing to the assistance given and he subsequently took the issue to Cabinet which approved the donation to show T&T’s solidarity with Nepal. The Foreign Affairs Ministry will disburse the funds to the Red Cross.
Speaking of Trinidad and Tobago’s own earthquake readiness, Bharath said the Office of Disaster Preparedness had shared with the National Security Council a month ago its plans for measures to mitigate earthquake damage.
He said there were many buildings in T&T lacking planning permission and which were unsafe, including some in mountainside communities where lands were cleared for building.
He revealed that Government had launched an aggressive drive to give titles to people for them to obtain loans to build better homes.
