Government on Monday announced a preliminary estimate of flood damages to date of $13.5 million.
Four of the five Ministers of government held a press conference to provide an update on the extent of damages throughout the territory and a preliminary assessment of reconstruction efforts so far.
In providing a report on the damages, Chief Minister Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith reported that all roads throughout the territory were affected, with hilly areas severely affected by flooding, landslides and rock falls.
He said the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago) provided technical assistance to conduct damage assessment on roads and drainage/hydrology by providing two road engineers, Mr. Raymond Charles and Dr. Vincent Cooper.
“Preliminary information indicates that there is serious damage to the roads and in many cases the damage has been caused by indiscriminate development and poor drainage, especially in the construction of private roads which join the main road network,” the Chief Minister reported.
He said the consultants have recommended that in the short term, the roads need to be securely retained with properly constructed retaining walls and in the long term, the cross section of the carriageway needs to be located on solid ground in the hillside cuts to avoid edged damage and wash out.  Immediate areas of concern have been identified as the Windy Hill area, East End, Johnson’s Ghut, Huntums Ghut and Cane Garden Bay on Tortola and the East End roadway and Little Harbour on Jost van Dyke.
Referring to utilities, Chief Minister Smith said damage to water systems is estimated at $196,000, which includes a cost of $150,000 to replace the reservoir at Sabbath Hill.
An estimated $120,000 worth of damage has been done to the distribution system, but this does not include damage to the power station at Pockwood Pond.   The majority of the damage resulted from fallen poles, lines and transformers.
On to education, the following schools were affected by flooding: Ivan Dawson, Leonora Delville, Jost Van Dyke, Enis Adams, Ebenezer Thomas Primary and the BVI High School.   The Ivan Dawson Primary School yard was contaminated by septic overflow and the Leonora Delville School reported mosquito infestation.  The BVI High School had deposits of mud and debris deposited in the yard and some books and papers were destroyed.  The estimated cost for damages is $153,175.00.
Sanitary conditions
The BVI leader also announced that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has provided a sanitary engineer who assessed the environmental health conditions during the last week.
Mr. Tony Maza’s assessment indicated contamination of cisterns with overflow from septic tanks in low lying areas.  Approximately 200 households are affected and required immediate disinfection with chlorine.  The consultant indicated that he tested the main water supply and was satisfied that the residual level of chlorine was adequate for the emergency situation.
“Only the Jost Van Dyke clinic suffered flooding damage, however water had receded and local health personnel had cleaned the clinic and it was back to normal operations by November 20^th,” Hon. Smith reported.  
The hospital and other clinics did not suffer damage and were fully operational.  Medical personnel reported no increase in patients seeking medical attention due to the floods.   The consultant recommended that public education on sanitation and safe drinking water quality should continue.
The Chief Minister also reported that reports on the agricultural sector are still coming in, but preliminary reports show that at Paraquita Bay for example, the road leading to the farmers’ plots is inaccessible.  Irrigation and water pipes are now fully exposed and most are broken.
Agriculture suffers
The Department of Agriculture has also suffered some damages that resulted in the loss of fencing, feed and pastures, along with other damages to the pound and animal pens, totalling approximately $38,000.
“In terms of funding the restoration, the Ministry of Finance has been asked to review funding services for both loan and grant funds locally and overseas,” Dr. Smith stated.
During the question and answer segment following the Chief Minister’s opening statement, Minister of Finance Hon. Ronnie W. Skelton said if the funding comes from loan funds, it would not be difficult to repay.   He said government is in negotiation with the Social Security Board, the local commercial banks and the Caribbean Development Bank and getting loans at concessionary rates won’t be difficult.  Other funding would come from government’s own resources, he said.
Education Minister Hon. Lloyd K. Black said the loss of days during the week of torrential rains would not prove to be a significant problem.   He said make up days are already being arranged.
And Hon. J. Alvin Christopher, Minister for Natural Resources and Labour said the Agriculture Department is awaiting reports from all farmers, in particular those in remote area whose farm access has been cut off, before it gives the final estimates.