Walker laments the slow pace of recovery on Barbuda

The Member of Parliament for Barbuda, Trevor Walker, is reminding the government that a year after Hurricane Irma devastated Barbuda, half of the island is still without utilities and water from the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA).
He also told Parliamentarians on Tuesday that residents did re-apply for the services based on recommendations from the authority.
“We had an issue because the truck to dig the hole could not have been sent to Barbuda for almost an entire year. There is no wire so people have to be sleeping in darkness and being disturbed by mosquitoes, while others have resorted to buying fuel to power their generators,” Walker said.
He also stated that Barbudans, who do have electricity and water, are required to travel to the mainland Antigua to ensure that their bills are paid on time. Walker says this situation is unbearable. “Mr. Speaker, there are two office ladies who have to be working from a car in Barbuda for one year.
I want the world to know one of those ladies is my wife who has to go every day to sit in a vehicle to work at APUA until she comes home. Nonsense! And unacceptable,” Walker declared. The Barbuda MP is not the only individual to complain about the recovery efforts on Barbuda. A number of key individuals have also expressed dissatisfaction with the process and called on the government to improve the pace of recovery.