THE government has submitted a formal application to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington for a loan under the institution’s Special Emergency Facility in order to finance the relief and reconstruction activities arising from nearly two weeks of flood rains that devastated large sections of the island.

In the wake of the disaster, Prime Minister P J Patterson last week declared five parishes as disaster areas — St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine and St Thomas.

In the meantime the prime minister is tomorrow scheduled to meet with the National Disaster Committee for a full review of the present situation, Colin Campbell, the information minister reported to journalists on Monday following the weekly meeting of the Cabinet.

Campbell said efforts were continuing on the ground to deal with housing, roads, and flood water conditions.

He also announced that Cabinet had approved two road rehabilitation contracts consequent on damages cause by the flood rains of last September and October

Gabion and Structures Company Ltd will carry out works on the Spanish River Bridge, Chovey (from Spring Garden to Chepstowe) and Peters Hill in Portland. The work, to be completed over a 10-week period, will cost $16.88 million.

The other contract pertains to road rehabilitation works from Norbrook to Woodford in St Andrew and Knapdale to Sturge Town in St Ann at a cost of $22.64 million, lasting for 10 weeks. The contractor is Channus Block and Marl Quarry Ltd.

Both contracts were considered and recommended by the National Contracts Commission, Campbell said.

Cabinet also approved a contract for $26.19 million to Kingston Industrial Agency for the supply of wire baskets and galvanised wire to partly replace the National Works Agency’s stock depleted by flood damage repairs carried out over the last six months.

Wire baskets and galvanised wire are used in the construction of Gabion embankments and other river training features.