Dear Editor,
When we see the devastation caused by the fire in The Current, Eleuthera, which took the life of one person, and then revisit the festive girding of the seagrape trees on West Bay Street, we can only scream at the wastage of public funds by the government.
This is especially the case when we are told that there was no fire engine in Current, and the authorities did not release the one at North Eleuthera Airport because there may have been an emergency at 3 o'clock in the morning. Both the fire engines at Gregory Town and Governor's Harbour were not working, and a fire engine had to come from Palmetto Point.
Anyone familiar with the geography of Eleuthera would recognize the distance this fire engine had to travel to get to the fire, so it is not surprising that a house which caught fire was burned to the ground two and one half hours after the fire started.
It is possible that similar situations exist on other islands. So we ask the question: Would the $300,000-plus spent on decorating trees, which were made beautiful by God, not have been better spent on obtaining and maintaining fire engines on our Family Islands?
On another note, can the persons impacted by the fire obtain an answer regarding their request for tax exemptions on materials being imported to restore their homes and vehicles?

- Jeanne I. Thompson

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