BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) says it is still awaiting an official death toll from Hurricane Beryl’s passage through the Windward Islands earlier this week.
CDEMA executive director Elizabeth Riley, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, said that while the international media may be providing figures regarding the number of people killed when the storm passed through St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, no official report of deaths had been provided.
“As to whether we could confirm with regards to fatality, the answer is no. We have not yet received an official report from any of the states concerning this item, and of course, once this is available, we will make this available to the press as well”.
Both Prime Ministers Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and Dickon Mitchell had earlier reported persons being killed as a result of the passage of the category four hurricane in the Grenadine islands. Still, both acknowledged that they were providing figures that had been reported to them.
Riley said both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada have indicated that while they will accept cash donations to help in the reconstruction exercise, they have both issued a needs list urging donors to provide what’s on the list.
She said it is “too early” to provide a financial picture of the damage caused and that officials are still conducting field operations.Watch video
Riley told reporters that she was pleased with the CDEMA member states’ response to assist the countries affected so far by the storm. Regarding Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, where the hurricane is heading, “we have activated our regional response mechanism.
“It is on standby to support Jamaica, and we were in discussions with Jamaica on the operational scenario they were anticipating, including looking at matters of population to be affected, etc.
‘So the arrangements are on standby within the CARICOM Disaster Relief Unit. We are also looking at having appropriate search support available for them,” she said, noting, “This is quite a complex operation that is happening in the region.”
She said CDEMA has four geographical subregions, allowing the Barbados-based agency to respond more effectively to member countries, “and you probably will realize that Beryl has threatened three of those subregions.”
She said the subregion led by Barbados and the countries involved were under threat at the same time, as was the situation for the subregion led by Trinidad and Tobago.
‘We knew that Hurricane Beryl would traverse the Caribbean Sea and provide a bit of a concern for Jamaica, the sub-regional focal point for the west. Of course, Jamaica is essential to our system because of the significant assets it holds, among others.
“I am raising this point to say what we have done is try to strategically utilize those states which have not been under threat to provide the horizontal cooperation support, and we have collaborated very closely with our partners…like the UN agencies as well as some private sector entities”.
She said the Bahamas has also put a team on standby to help Jamaica. “We do have an arrangement with the international militaries that support our regional response mechanism through our multilateral Caribbean …and that includes the militaries of the United States, Canada, France, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.”
She said that the Cayman Islands, which is also under threat from Beryl, is a British Overseas Territory. ” In that regard, our operational plans call for us to activate our arrangements with the UK for support to the UK Overseas Territories in events where regional resources are stretched, and this is one of those scenarios.”
Asked by reporters what would be CDEMA’s role in Haiti, where security is a major issue following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the CEMA executive director said the reality is that there would be some concerns going into the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
“Any time we launch a humanitarian response, the first concern is safety. Haiti has an actual conflict situation, which is being managed.
“So, at this time, we would have to have intense conversations with our colleagues in Haiti to understand the situation on the ground, and we would need to guarantee the safety of personnel who could be deployed to Haiti.
“I think we have to accept that the situation there is difficult. We understand that the leadership that is currently in place is doing its best to bring some level of…normalcy…but they are trying to address the difficult situation”.
Riley told reporters, “Any time you have concerns relating to law and order and safety of humanitarian workers, there is going to be a constraint; it is just a reality.
“.But what I would say is that to the extent possible, if something should happen in Haiti, we would do our best, but at the forefront always is that we have to ensure the safety of the humanitarian workers.”
The United Nations has also expressed concern for Haiti, which was already in a dire situation before the hurricane.
“The security situation is not making it any better. We are prepositioning. We are ready to help as soon as the storm hits and before,” said UN spokesperson Stephané Dujarric.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), aid agencies are in close contact with Haitian authorities, who have amplified early warning messages.
“UN agencies, of course, stand ready to assist and have already taken anticipatory measures,” Dujarric said.
Download video – CDEMA Executive Director Elizabeth Riley speaking at news conference
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