BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE government promises that Abaco’s long-delayed hurricane shelter would be completed by today, officials from the Disaster Risk Management Authority (DRMA) say the facility is still unfinished.

Alex Storr, the authority’s executive chairman, told The Tribune yesterday that while work is progressing, the shelter will not be fully completed on schedule.

“Work on the shelter is going on full speed ahead,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “The shelters should be usable shortly, but it won’t be completed because there are still some things that need to be done but it will be a usable shelter in the next couple of weeks.”

His comments come as DRMA officials are prepare to travel to Abaco today for a site visit on the shelter’s progress.

Officials have repeatedly missed deadlines for the $4.5m shelter, which was initially expected to be completed late last year, and then by July 1.

However, the project has faced several setbacks. Last September, trusses on the shelter collapsed as Abaco marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Dorian. Photos of the incident went viral.

More recently, a vandalism incident at the site raised concerns about further delays; however, DRMA officials said it is not expected to significantly impact construction.

Meanwhile, regarding the government-issued RV trailers, Mr Storr also confirmed that there is currently no new deadline for occupants to vacate despite setting an initial deadline for October last year.

This comes amid increasing complaints from Abaco residents about alleged criminal activity at the RV site and concerns that some occupants may not be authorised to live there.

The trailers, located next to the Marsh Harbour government complex, were meant to provide temporary housing for those displaced by Dorian in 2019.

In May, Mr Storr said officials were conducting an assessment to determine who is occupying the trailers and whether they are legally allowed to remain.

“We are still waiting for some of the other agencies we are working with to report to us, and so that process is still ongoing. So, there is no hard date for the occupants to be out as yet,” Mr Storr said yesterday.

Mr Storr said he expects to receive an updated list of RV occupants during this week’s trip to Abaco.