THE damage caused by Hurricane Sandy and natural disasters this year has left a $1.7-billion repair bill.

Funds are needed, before the fiscal year ends next March, to undertake temporary as well as ongoing restoration of these infrastructure, according to Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing Morais Guy.

The National Works Agency estimated Sandy’s bill, to carry out an interim restoration exercise, at $710 million.

Substantial rainfall which lashed sections of the island between September and October this year has left road damage in the region of $300 million.

Guy lamented that following the passage of Hurricane Sandy, Port Maria and surrounding communities in the Central St Mary constituency, where he is the member of parliament, experienced major flooding damage estimated at $100 million.

Initial estimates also suggest that 5,000 of the 14,000 houses, which were affected, were totally destroyed while another 13,000 sustained “varying degrees of damage”, due to the passage of Hurricane Sandy.

Guy was speaking yesterday at the seventh annual Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa. The conference which started yesterday and is staged by Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency is scheduled to climax this Friday, December 8.