CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC—The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Didacus Jules, said Tuesday he is “deeply saddened by the loss of life and significant devastation” caused by Hurricane Beryl in two member states of the subregional grouping.
The hurricane, which had 140-mile-per-hour winds, tore into Grenada and its sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, as well as St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including Union Island.
The hurricane has been blamed for at least four deaths, and Jules, in a statement, said he wanted to express his “deepest condolences to the families and all those who this extreme weather event has impacted.
He said Beryl, the earliest category four hurricane on record to form in the hurricane season, is a stark reminder of the realities of climate change and its adverse impacts on Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
“We commend the respective OECS member states, CARICOM countries, national emergency management agencies, and the caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), coordinating the disaster response and recovery efforts.
“Our thoughts are also with Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, now preparing for a major impact. As a region, we must remain vigilant and prepared against these impacts at the beginning of an active hurricane season. Collective action and solidarity are now required to support all those affected.”
Jules said that the OECS Commission is working to support member states and called upon the international community and development partners to support the rebuilding and resilience efforts underway in the region.
“We commend the government of Saint Lucia for their support in providing a helicopter to the Prime Minister of Grenada to take him around the affected areas. The helicopter was also used to transport urgently needed medical supplies.”
Jules said that as individual islands, “we may be small, but as one region, we can withstand and overcome all challenges together.
“We also commend the Republic of France for offering assistance to the governments of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines with logistical and transportation assistance to access Carriacou and Petite Martinique (Grenada) and the many Grenadine islands (St. Vincent) that have been devastated and are currently inaccessible,” he added.
The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands.
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