DHTA says 6 properties which received Government assistance after TS Erika striving to resume operations

The Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association (DHTA) reveals that six properties which received assistance through a $100,000 grant from the Dominica Government following TS Erika, are making strides toward resuming their operations.
In an official release, the Association says all of the $100,000 was disbursed to hotels that sustained significant undermining of the safety and stability of their properties or sites, as a result of Tropical Storm Erika.
In September 2015, immediately after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika, the DHTA and other tourism stakeholder institutions reportedly collaborated to launch a data collection initiative, in order to quantify the impact of the storm on the tourism sector.
Out of this exercise, eight (8) properties were identified as destroyed or non-operational as a direct result of the destabilization of the property or site during the passage of TS Erika. It is said that on the basis of this finding, the DHTA submitted a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister dated September 9, 2015 requesting support for the tourism sector.
On March 30, 2016, DHTA received an intervention of $100,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars from the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GOCD) for disbursement to properties that were most affected by Tropical Storm Erika.
Of the eight (8) properties identified as non-operational in September 2015, six (6) of them applied for assistance under the fund.
On April 8, 2016, the DHTA says it executed full disbursement of all funds according to a weighted algorithm, based on reported damages on qualifying losses, assessment reports, operational status, and number of rooms and employees.