His Excellency the Governor, Nigel Dakin, chaired the 26th meeting of the Cabinet on Friday 23 September 2022 at the Governor’s Residence on Grand Turk.
All Members were present, with the exception of the Hon Minister for Immigration deployed for disaster recovery work on the islands of North Caicos and Middle Caicos and the Hon Ministers of Tourism and Health who are out of the country.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Moved to Grand Turk, the most affected island, and also held the NEOC post-strike meeting. From that update, the Cabinet met on an emergency basis to issue directives around an immediate response. Cabinet was given an update on the state of all islands in the Turks and Caicos Islands chain, the immediate response by public and private agencies, and external military support. In noting key areas requiring attention, Cabinet both noted the speed of response and that matters could have been far worse. The Cabinet was updated on the visit by the Governor and the Premier to deliver water and supplies and check on the people living there.
· Noted policy and processes in place through the legal framework to deliver necessary contracting, relief supplies, and a disaster recovery framework and decision-making structure required for the TCI Government to be able to prioritize funding, and work to be carried out in response to the recovery work post-Hurricane Fiona.
Members agreed on the formation of a national recovery and resilience board to lead on short and long-term work required to address natural disasters and resilience.
Members agreed on processes required for non-Governmental and humanitarian organizations to enter the Turks and Caicos Islands to provide relief and support in times of disaster recovery.
· Discussed the re-prioritization of TCI Government funded project work and agreed on next steps.
· Was updated on the Premier’s visit to London, reception with HRH King Charles III, and meetings with Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and Home Office ministers on the issue of crime and security in the TCI in particular.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
