A twenty-five man T&TEC team set off from Trinidad for Jamaica this morning via chartered flight - a direct request from Prime Minister Andrew Holness. Seeing them off was Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath, who reminded them that their task is not just to help restore power, but also to restore hope to the battered isle. Rynessa Cutting has more.
00:00Almost two weeks after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, much of Jamaica remains in darkness.
00:07Our government, through the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission, is doing its part to restore power and hope to the battered isle.
00:15Over the last few days, five trucks were sent to Jamaica that would provide the technical support, the hardware that is needed.
00:27When 55% of the island is still without electricity, and therefore we send a 25-member team from TNTech selected from the various areas throughout the company that would provide the level of support that is needed to bring back and restore electricity across the island.
00:50The government has allocated Titi $2.24 million to the restoration effort.
00:56Despite the financial challenges that we all face as a region and globally, this is a moment in time that will define us not by dollars and cents, but rather by compassion and humanity.
01:13With an expenditure of $2.24 million, the employees of TNTech will stay in Jamaica for at least 30 days in the first instance.
01:26The deployment of the TNTech crew follows at least 12 containers of aid from the public, private and civil sectors.
01:34And Minister Padarath says more help is on the way.
01:38Many of the supermarkets, their shelves are bare.
01:42We will work with TTMA and others to see what sort of relief we can bring.
01:48Earlier, our High Commissioner-designate Deborah Thomas-Felix, who is on board this flight with our contingent from TNTech,
01:54did express to me that the reports coming out of Jamaica is that we may need to add some additional support,
02:02through food support, through food support, in the first instance to our High Commission there, Trinidad and Tobago nationals,
02:10who are still in Jamaica, as well as to Jamaican citizens themselves.
02:14So that is going to be a challenge that we are looking at addressing in the immediate future,
02:22because as you know, hunger is something that we really would have to look at in terms of getting supplies there.
02:29The request for the deployment of the TNTech crew came directly from Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness.
02:36Again, on behalf of the Government of the People of Jamaica, thank you so very much, Renessa.
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