ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—In a significant move towards recovery, Grenada is set to lift the state of emergency (SOE) for Carriacou and Petite Martinique on Tuesday. This decision came after the islands were battered by Hurricane Beryl, which passed through the Windward Islands last Monday.
The two islands were placed under the SOE last Wednesday, and there is an 11-hour daily curfew starting at 7 p.m. (local time).
According to an extraordinary publication of the official Gazette on Monday, signed by Carvel Lett, Secretary to the Cabinet, the Emergency Powers (Hurricane Beryl) (No 2) regulation will be repealed as of July 09.
As required by the Disaster Management Act, the Government has since declared the parishes of St Patrick, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique disaster zones for three months, covering the period from July 1 to September 30, 2024.
“This Notice shall be deemed to have commenced at 11:00 a.m. on the 1st day of July 2024 and shall expire at 11:59 p.m. on the 30th day of September 2024,” said the notice. It further explained that Hurricane Beryl, with maximum sustained winds of approximately 120 miles per hour (mph), caused widespread damage and destruction to property, physical infrastructure, the environment, crops, and tragically, loss of human life.
The Government has yet to announce the estimated cost of the damages.
Meanwhile, the Anguilla government has announced a significant financial aid package for hurricane relief efforts. They are making half a million EC dollars (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) available, to be divided equally between Grenada, St.Vincent, and the Grenadines.
“The catastrophic damage to Carriacou, Petit Martinique, Union Island, and others reminds us of Anguilla’s plight following Hurricane Irma in 2017 and confirms that global warming and our position as Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean make us interconnected, interrelated, and mutually vulnerable,” Premier, Dr Ellis Lorenzo Webster.
“In Anguilla’s time of distress and need, the region stood in solidarity and came to our aid. It is our turn to help our brothers and sisters in the Windward Islands. To this end, the Executive Council has approved a financial contribution of EC$500,000.00 to be divided equally between Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines for hurricane relief and recovery efforts,” he added.
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