Site at Orange Hill being cleared for evacuees’ new homes

Work is progressing smoothly at the Orange Hill site where 27 pre-fabricated houses will be constructed to house a number of familes who were evacuated from the red zone following the explosive eruptions of the Soufriere volcano.

BRAGSA OFFICIALS at the site

With the clearance of bush from the site, the construction of roads and foundations is expected to commence within the coming days, weather permitting.

According to BRAGSA officials, the size of the lots are about 4,000 square feet, and the houses will be constructed in a manner on those lots which will allow the occupants to build an extension to their homes in the future if that is their desire.

The officials expect the foundations to be completed and the houses erected by the end of September to the middle of October 2021. A shipment of containers containing building supplies, is expected to leave Port-of-Spain for St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the coming days.

The government has indicated that, following an assessment done by a technical team, a number of homes primarily in communities above the Rabacca Dry River, will have to be abandoned due to their vulnerability to lahars occasioned by the eruptions.

ROAD ALIGNMENT in progress

Some houses will be constructed on government lands, but Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said some parcels of land would have to be purchased from private citizens.