The OECS Secretariat expresses solidarity with the people of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as they count the loss of life and damage to property from the passage of the deadly Hurricane Ivan through the region. {{more}}
The Secretariat will move immediately to help assess the impact of the hurricane on Grenada in particular, where initial reports indicate a number of fatalities and extensive damage and destruction to homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
The Secretariat on Wednesday dispatched one of its senior economists to Barbados to join the emergency response team from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) which is due to arrive in Grenada on Thursday morning.
A team from the Secretariat will follow shortly to conduct a macro economic and social impact assessment of the damage to assist with efforts at recovery. The team will include a Social Scientist, economists, coastal engineers, and an official from the OECS Pharmaceutical Procurement Service (PPS) who will seek to quantify the requirements of the country’s health services.
Director General Dr. Len Ishmael will visit Grenada later this week to discuss areas of assistance for recovery and rehabilitation.
The OECS Secretariat has also embarked on a drive to collect household and other supplies for those in urgent need of assistance, and the first shipment is expected to leave St. Lucia on Thursday.
The Director General has spoken to the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves in relation to the extent of the Hurricane Ivan’s damage to that country.
Dr. Gonsalves indicated that a team was due to make a preliminary impact assessment on Wednesday and the findings will be shared with the OECS Secretariat.
The Secretariat will use this report to work out a plan of action and determine areas of assistance to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.