By LEANDRA ROLLE

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

STATE Minister for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson said yesterday the government has paid out nearly $2m in unemployment benefits to hurricane victims in Grand Bahama since Hurricane Dorian.

The revelation came as the state minister was giving an update to reporters on the efforts being made to further the recovery process on the storm-impacted island.

“We know that unemployment was also a huge, huge challenge and it continues to remain a challenge for us in Grand Bahama,” he told reporters outside of Cabinet yesterday.

“For a number of businesses who right after the storm were impacted and temporarily had to close, National Insurance unemployment benefit kicked in.

“And so, from the storm to the latest number, I think is in December, unemployment benefits that have been paid out has been in excess of $1.7m, which has been paid out to Grand Bahamians since the storm.”

In December, while refuting an international report that suggested unemployment on Grand Bahama was nearly 50 percent in the aftermath of the deadly storm, the Ministry of Finance said it was advised by the National Insurance Board (NIB) that between September and November of 2019, it received 888 applications for unemployment benefits from Grand Bahama. “The labour force on the island was last surveyed by the Department of Statistics in May 2019 – with the number of employed persons equaling 29,235 out of a working population of 32,825,” the ministry noted in a statement.

The statement noted while the 888 applications for unemployment benefits did indicate an upward move in unemployment given the devastation of Dorian, it did not signal a spike in unemployment equal to 16,000 persons – which would represent an unemployment rate of 50 percent in Grand Bahama.

“We recognise that the need in Grand Bahama is great, particularly after Hurricane Dorian,” Mr Thompson told reporters yesterday. “But, although the need is great, the government continues to work to meet that need through the agencies that are in Grand Bahama.”

One way the government is meeting those needs, according to the senator, is by providing housing assistance to those victims impacted by the monster storm.

“So, social services provides rental assistance to all of those persons who have been displaced. Since the storm, they’ve actually provided assistance to Grand Bahamians for rental assistance to the tone of over $700,000,” he said.

“With respect to appliances, persons in Grand Bahama can go to social services and can receive assistance for appliance assistance each for up to $2,000 and since the storm, social services have provided in excess of $400,000 to persons for assistance for appliances.”

As it relates to those small businesses that were impacted by Dorian, Mr Thompson said the government has allocated $10 million for a loan guarantee and equity financing programme to companies in both Abaco and Grand Bahama following Dorian.

“Our small businesses (are) a very very important part of the rebuilding process,” he said. “The government has provided $10 million for small businesses (and) that’s for Abaco and Grand Bahama and to date, we have about 60 plus businesses who have been provided assistance through the Small Business Development Centre and for micro-loans, they’ve approved about $300,000 for micro-loans.

“And for small business grants, they’ve actually approved in excess to over $250,000 for Grand Bahamians’ small businesses.”

To further aid the recovery efforts on the island, Mr Thompson mentioned that officials are also preparing to launch the government’s Small Home Repair programme, which will provide vouchers to people whose homes were damaged in Hurricane Dorian.

The programme is expected to to be up and running by February 10.