Should the Caribbean part of the Kingdom be hit again by a (natural) disaster, the Netherlands is sufficiently prepared to assist, accord­ing to the Dutch Council of Ministers. The Rutte IV Cabinet discussed results of an investigation into the relief and reconstruc­tion effort in the Windward Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.

“The core message of the policy review is critically positive and indicates that the Ministry of Home Af­fairs and Kingdom Rela­tions has performed rela­tively well, despite limited preparation and experience in managing and coordinat­ing a crisis of this magni­tude. However, improve­ments are possible.”

State Secretary of King­dom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen was to inform the Dutch Second Cham­ber of Parliament by let­ter how government will implement the research­ers’ recommendations. The ministry will further deter­mine which improvements can be realised before the start of the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season in June.

The Daily Herald.