Turks & Caicos minister visits students in Florida affected by Hurricane Wilma

Dr Lillian Boyce

Friday,  November 4, 2005

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands: More than 170 students from the Turks and Caicos Islands who are studying in Florida, received financial aid last weekend from the Government, through the Ministry of Education to help them cope with the after-effects of Hurricane Wilma.

Minister of Education, Dr Lillian Boyce, led a delegation from her ministry who met with the students between Saturday and Sunday.

“On behalf of my government and the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I came to show you that we care about you,” she said. “We’ve come to assess your needs, to ensure that you are safe and determine what we can do to make your situation more comfortable.”

The students who were studying in the Miami-Dade area met at the Johnson and Wales University on Saturday, October 29 while others went to the Hilton Hotel, on Blue Lagoon Drive the following day.

Even after the Ministry of Education officials returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands from Florida, they still continued offering financial assistance to students whom they did not meet while in the USA.

None of the students were hurt or injured during the hurricane, and most of them complained about being affected by power outages, having to take cold showers, or difficulty in purchasing fuel which was being rationed by gas stations.

Dr Boyce told the students that she sympathized and empathized with them, but she stressed that they should give God thanks for bringing them safely through the hurricane which killed approximately six people and displaced several thousands throughout Florida.

A few students said their apartments received minor water damage and some said their computers and laptops were affected. Landlords are responsible for damage to properties rented by students.

By Sunday, October 31, the situation in Florida had returned to normal, with curfews being lifted and power restored to most parts of the state.

Dr Boyce noted that based on her assessment of the situation, most of the students who were on scholarship were not in dire straits, since they were still receiving their subsistence and in some cases, were paid in advance, therefore they would not have been cash-strapped.

“Although they are on scholarship and received their full subsistence, it was still important that we should give them a small financial token to offset and assist with any unforeseen expenses they would have incurred during that short period of dislocation,” she said.

Meantime, President of Johnson and Wales University, Mr. Donald McGregor complimented the Minister of Education for taking time out to visit the Turks and Caicos Islands students.

“We have a great set of students from the Turks and Caicos Islands. They are the future business and hospitality leaders of your country and I think they can feel quite proud that their minister of education took the time out to visit them and offer their assistance,” he said.

Noting that the damage done by Wilma was not like that of Hurricane Katrina, the university president said it was a miracle that the students were not worse off.

“Apart from the loss of power, when you consider that we in Florida were up and running in less than a week, it is nothing short of a miracle and we should be thankful for that,” he said, adding that Johnson and Wales was willing to assist other Turks and Caicos Islands students from other universities in Florida.

After the meeting, one of the male students from Johnston and Wales thanked the Minister on behalf of his colleagues.

“We really appreciate the fact that you came over here to look for us. It means a whole lot,” he said.

Dr Boyce was the only government official from any country with students attending the universities in Florida, who took the time out to visit their students.

After the meeting, the minister also mingled with the students to ascertain how they were doing and for them to air any concerns they may have.

She also urged them to form an association so that they can have greater contact and cooperation among them.

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