Evicted Barbudans will be catered to – Council Chairman

Alternative arrangements are being made for two Barbudan families who are being asked to vacate the Barbuda Sports Complex by October 15.
Chairman of the Barbuda Council Wade Burton told OBSERVER media yesterday that council members are currently working to provide whatever assistance they can to the two families.
Noting that eight people make up the two families, Burton said that the home of one of the female occupants living at the basketball court is repairable, while
 another will be able to share accommodation with a relative.
“The shelter was never a long-term solution for Barbudans returning home and persons who are here, they were not really interested in being in a shelter in the first place. But they have nowhere else to go, and we are trying to assist them to find somewhere so they do not have to remain in a shelter,” Burton said.
The two Barbudan families have been living at the complex since June this year. However, the Barbuda Council, which is responsible for the building, gave them written notice on September 27, indicating that the property has been deemed unfit to inhabit.
Burton explained that while there is nothing
wrong with the physical structure of the complex, it is not connected with water and electricity from the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) and it is costing the Council too much to keep the families comfortable.
The council member said the complex is powered by a generator on a daily basis and water is sourced from two plastic tanks that are on the compound. He also said it takes five gallons of diesel per day to run the generator from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“If they had electricity and water it would not be a problem. But the complex is not equipped and is not able to accommodate people on a long-term basis,” Burton said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the council is also appealing to the management of APUA to move swiftly to restore electricity and water to the homes in Barbuda.
He said following the passage of Hurricane Irma over a year ago several homes are still without power and residents are very much concerned.
“I have families complaining to me daily about the whole situation right now. There have also been reports of food poisoning because they are mostly using standby generators and when they leave and come back, they use the food not knowing that current was off for a period,” Burton said.