US $16M pledged so far for Barbuda

The Antigua and Barbuda government has received cash commitments amounting to some U.S. $16 million dollars from friendly governments as part of an outreach to help with the reconstruction efforts on devastated Barbuda.
This was revealed by Minister of Information Melford Nicholas at Thursday’s post-Cabinet news briefing.
 “So far in the assessed cash contributions that have been committed, I think … the contributions have amounted to approximately 16 million US dollars; there are other in kind contributions that have been made and the effort will continue,” he said.
Nicholas noted that they were aiming to raise U.S. $50 million. He also sought to give reassurance that the development plans that had been on the books for Barbuda prior to Hurricane Irma were merely disrupted and not abandoned.
The island’s landing facilities were singled out as a priority development area since it was integral to getting the heavy duty supplies in to begin the reconstruction exercise.
“There’s a great need for sealift and airlift into Barbuda and the extent to which we are able to fix
and expand the capacity of Barbuda to land these
craft is going to be
important to the whole redevelopment effort,” Nicholas said.
Meanwhile, the government has asked those wishing can make “cash donations” to make contributions to either of its two established accounts.
Chief-of-Staff Lionel Hurst had disclosed earlier that accounts have been set up at the Antigua Commercial Bank and the Caribbean Union Bank to accommodate funds on behalf of the state.
The name and number of the account at the Antigua Commercial Bank is Barbuda Relief and Rebuilding Fund: Account No. 100004717 while the name and number of the account at the Caribbean Union Bank is Barbuda Relief and Rebuilding Fund, Account No. 10001372.