Upcoming road works will lead to detours, says Infrastructure Minister
Over 6-million dollars has been allocated in this financial period, specifically for roadworks.
Numerous locations across Grand Turk, Providenciales and Salt Cay have been tapped to receive road-related repairs and adjustments.
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning is working hard to see these much-needed improvements through.
Works have already begun throughout Providenciales and Grand Turk and are soon to start in Salt Cay.
These works will cause some temporary inconveniences for residents.
RTC caught up with the minister responsible for infrastructure, housing and planning, Goldray Ewing, to get more details on how these works are progressing.
Hon. Ewing said that in some areas in Grand Turk, roads are infringing into private property and the walls of some properties may have to come down. The ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning is handling these cases with care and will ensure that the property owners affected are fully aware of the situation.
The minister said that the roadworks in Grand Turk would improve the surroundings aesthetically and he also noted that residents would benefit from smoother roadways while driving.
He also said that the ministry will be tackling landscaping on the sides of the roads as well as within the medians.
The minister said that Providenciales roads in Five Cays, Blue Hills and Wheeland will see further works sometime in December.
In the meantime, the ministry will be improving the round-a-bouts in Providenciales. Works on the Airport Road round-a-bout has already begun. The minister hopes for these works to be complete by Christmas.
As for detours in Providenciales when these road works begin, the minister said there are two options:
(1) Either motorists will have to use one side of Leeward Highway, meaning only two lanes will be open on the Highway or (2) the Highway will be closed completely and motorists will have to use the glass shack route to come to town.
Source: Allie Capron (RTC News)
Flooding in T&T an indication of climate change effects
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The government of Jamaica says the recent adverse flooding in Trinidad and Tobago is an indication of the Caribbean's struggle to combat the adverse effects of climate change.
In a release expressing sadness at the flooding, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, said: “This is yet another example of how the Caribbean is having to grapple with the very real effects of climate change”.
She noted that while there are no reports of loss of life, “we are truly saddened to learn of the number of persons affected by the heavy rains and others trapped in their communities by landslides”.
“We therefore need to not only stand together in the aftermath of disaster, but to continue to work together and advocate in our regional and multilateral spaces, for strong global action and financing. Jamaica will continue to work with its CARICOM colleagues more widely in this regard,” the minister continued.
She further stated that she had been in touch with her counterpart and the Jamaican High Commission in Trinidad and Tobago, and understood that the Trinidadian Government has already commenced recovery and relief efforts and would be working with its Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) as well as Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
Magnitude 5.1 earthquake shakes Trinidad and Tobago
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 was felt in sections of the twin island republic on Sunday afternoon.
The Seismic Research Centre at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus reports that the tremor was felt at 12:35 pm (local time) had a depth of 80 kilometres and was located at Latitude: 11.51N and Longitude: 60.12W.
In the twin island republic it was felt 78 km NE of Scarborough, 161 km NE of Arima and 181 km NE of Port of Spain.
There have been no reports of injuries or damages.
Barbados rocked by 4.2 magnitude earthquake
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 was recorded here on Saturday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
The Seismic Research Centre (SRC) at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago said that the quake occurred at 4.41 pm (local time).
It was located Latitude: 12.29N, Longitude: 59.74W with a depth of 60 km.
The SRC said the quake was felt 92 km south of Bridgetown, 166 km north east of Scarborough, Tobago and 191 km south east of Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Sprint King Usain Bolt scores two goals on his first start
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Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is expecting her first child
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant with her first child, the UK's royal family has announced.
Hon. Astwood among Caribbean Health Ministers at Global Health & Climate Conference in Grenada
Caribbean Ministers of Health met at the Third Global Conference on Health and Climate in St. Georges, Grenada on October 16th and 17th to approve a plan on health system resilience in the face of climate change.
The event convened health authorities and experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop an Action Plan for Small Island Developing States, who are on the front line of increasing health impacts of climate change.
Hon. Edwin Astwood, Minister responsible for Health, Sports and Human Services represents the Turks and Caicos during the event as a featured panelists in the discussion on building climate resilient health systems.
Former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, D.r Rufus Ewing, was also in attendance, representing the Pan American Health Organisation Health Systems and Services.
“We saw last year the devastating effects of hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey, and many other tropical storms that hit the Caribbean,” said Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organisation. “But we also face other challenges, such as floods; droughts; heatwaves; water and food security and safety; undernutrition; massive fisheries and marine biodiversity loss; vector borne diseases; and non-communicable diseases.”
“I don’t need to convince anyone in this room that the present situation is critical,” added Dr. Etienne. “Health is being impacted by climate change in many ways, and although small island developing states have made a small contribution to global emissions of Greenhouse Gases, our islands are at the forefront of climate change impacts.”
During the Conference, which was attended by 14 Caribbean Ministers of Health and Environment, four overarching issues will be discussed:
Supporting Caribbean health leadership to have their priorities and needs heard; strengthen national technical capacities to understand the impacts of climate change on health in small island developing states and to anticipate and prepare for those risks; developing the policies and implementing actions required to build climate-resilient health systems; and facilitating access to climate and health financing mechanisms.
The Conference is part of the WHO Initiative on Climate Change and Health in Small Island Developing States, which was launched in collaboration with the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Fijian Presidency of COP-23, at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in November 2017.
“The reason we are here today is because island nations have requested it,” said Dr.
Joy St. John, Assistant Director General for Climate and Other Determinants of
Health at WHO. “More extreme weather events are taking lives and having devastating impact
on livelihoods and economies, and even threatening to submerge some of the islands.
We need to ensure that people from these islands have the best possible level of health so
that no one gets left behind.”
The WHO initiative aims to provide national health authorities in SIDS with the
political, technical, and financial support to better understand and address the
effects of climate change on health.
It takes the form of three innovative, geographically dispersed meetings. The first
was held in Fiji, for Pacific SIDS, and the second in Mauritius, for SIDS of the
African and South-East Asian WHO Regions. The Conference in Grenada constitutes the
third meeting, and together with the regional plans developed during the other two meetings, will
contribute to a WHO global action plan for climate and health in Small Island Developing States.
Many small islands are already seeing an increase in climate-change related events,
including high burdens of climate-sensitive diseases such as vector-, food-, and
water-borne diseases; more frequent and severe extreme weather events; and rising sea levels.
“What we are seeing with respect to climate change and health is that how we define
ourselves as a Caribbean people is at stake,” said Hon. Nickolas Steele, Minister of
Health and Social Security of Grenada. “Sun, sea and sand is something we have been
proud of but it is also going to be our downfall. We need to make sure that we are ready and
that we are prepared and smart,” he concluded.
While countries have agreed to take action to limit global warming under the 2015
Paris Agreement, it is vital that health care facilities are reinforced,
early-warning surveillance systems implemented; and policy developed to ensure that those that are
most vulnerable to climate change events are not left behind.
PAHO Director participates in inauguration ceremony of Princess Alice Smart Hospital, Grenada
The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Carissa F. Etienne,
yesterday participated in the inauguration of the latest smart health care facility to
open in the Region of the Caribbean.
The Princess Alice Hospital is the first hospital to have been refitted to smart
standards in the Eastern Caribbean and the latest in the Caribbean Region as
a whole.
“The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards, so we must be serious
about climate change and this hospital is an example of how PAHO is contributing
to that,” said Dr. Etienne.
“Countries must provide an overall standard of care so that their people are safe
and well, but they must also be able to scale-up this care when they experience
a disaster,” she added.
The inauguration ceremony, which was also attended by Honourable Nickolas Steele,
Minister of Health in Grenada; Simone Banister, from UK Aid’s Department for
International Development and Shalini Jagnarine, the structural engineer from PAHO
responsible for the development of the Project, preceded a ribbon-cutting ceremony
and a tour of the refitted hospital facilities.
“Climate change and health are serious policy issues for Grenada,” said Honorable
Nickolas Steele. “The Ministry is committed to a safer, healthier and greener
community throughout the Caribbean.”
The smart standard refit implemented at the Princess Alice Hospital now include
protective shutters and a specialized roof; as well as energy-saving light fittings
and solar panels.
During the inauguration, an emphasis was placed on the importance of “safe”, “green”
and “maintenance” in the development of a smart health care facility. “It
is important to invest in smart hospitals, but it is just important that these
facilities and this investment is maintained,” said Dr. Daniel St. Louie, House
Officer at the Princess Alice Hospital.
Smart Hospitals
The Smart Hospital Project is an initiative financed by the UK’s Department for
International Development (DFID) and implemented through PAHO. The Organization
works with Ministries of Health in countries across the Eastern Caribbean to
construct and/or retrofit health facilities with the aim of improving disaster
resilience while saving energy and water.
The primary functions of smart health care facilities include protecting the lives
of patients and health care workers; reducing damage to hospital equipment
and infrastructure; providing health services under emergency conditions; using
scarce resources more efficiently; and improving strategies to adjust to future
hazards and climate change.
Education in Emergencies Training in Antigua
The UNICEF Eastern Caribbean staged the Education in Emergencies
training from October 1st – October 4th 2018 in Antigua. The objective
of the training was to build technical knowledge around Education in
Emergencies Preparedness and Response.
During the 4-day training that consisted of six sessions in each day
from the hours 8:30 am to 6:00 pm the attendees were able to attend
presentations and discussions on Caribbean Safe Initiative, Regional
Content, advances and challenges. The Comprehensive School Safety
Framework, Essential Humanitarian Standards and commitment for children
and adolescents were some of the areas of discussion.
The training discussed an increase understanding of the Minimum
Standards in Child Protection and Key Interventions. Each countries’
participants shared information on the protocol for Child Protection as
it is managed in their respective territories.
The training viewed the Caribbean Safe program, Education in Emergencies
plans, action plans for future collaboration among participating actors
to ensure preparedness, response and monitoring and evaluation. It
further discussed increased knowledge to access funds in events of
emergencies, increase knowledge of Antigua and Barbuda Declaration and
understanding of Ministerial Forum of 2019 action of St. Vincent and
Grenadines.
Turks and Caicos Islands Government Social Worker, Vanessa Williams was
in attendance.
The importance of sending a representative to such a
timely and important training allow the TCI to be up to par with its
neighbors and modernizing the country’s social development structure
which is already experiencing a rebirth in child protection and
safeguarding through the assistance of UNICEF.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Social Development register
its continued gratitude to UNICEF for including the TCI in its ongoing
regional workshops which helps to enhance our service delivery and
strengthens of staff capacity.
Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen dead at 65
PAUL G. ALLEN, co-founder of Microsoft, died on Monday afternoon in
Seattle from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a statement from
his family said. He was 65.
Two weeks ago, Allen had tweeted that the illness, with which he was
initially diagnosed in 2009, had returned. "I've begun treatment & my
doctors are optimistic that I will see a good result. Appreciate the
support I've received & count on it as I fight this challenge," he
wrote.
Allen was the owner of the Seattle Seahawks football team and the
Portland Trailblazers basketball team; he was also a part-owner of the
Seattle Sounders soccer team. In addition, he founded Seattle's Museum
of Pop Culture, and was the founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc., which
managed his various business and charity efforts.
Allen and BILL GATES founded Microsoft in 1975. Allen's net worth, which
included some 100 million share of Microsoft, was estimated at over $20
billion dollars. He gave over two billion dollars over his lifetime to
charitable causes such as environmental conservation, the arts and
education.
In a statement, Microsoft Microsoft CEO SATYA NADELLA said, in part,
"Paul Allen's contributions to our company, our industry and to our
community are indispensable. As a co-founder of Microsoft, in his own
quiet and persistent way, he created magical products, experiences and
institutions, and in doing so, he changed the world."
Allen never married and had no children.