Minister for Health and Social Development Honourable Ronnie Skelton has said that the Peebles Hospital was built to withstand category 5 hurricanes and earthquakes measuring 7 on the Richter scale.

Minister Skelton during a Town Hall meeting on ZBVI Radio said the hospital, police stations and other essential government buildings were built to withstand these natural disasters. He added that of the 12 medical facilities on the island, five have suffered significant damage including the Adina Donovan Home.

The Minister for Health said Government has received pledges from funding agencies and countries to assist in repairing the damaged health infrastructure.

Honourable Skelton encouraged residents to come together and clean their immediate surroundings. He said there is a lot more debris than ever before but the community working together in the cleanup can put the country back together.

He added, “My job as Minister for Health and Social Services is to find ways to dispose of this garbage and debris that is being created by these two major storms.”

The Government of the Virgin Islands remains committed to leading in rebuilding efforts that will restore the Territory.