St Vincent and the Grenadines will make an initial contribution of US$100,000 to the Government and people of The Bahamas, which has been ravaged by Hurricane Dorian over the past few days.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves made the announcement on Wednesday during an interview on We FM 99.9. He said he has also suggested to Didacus Jules, director general of the OECS that each of the
six independent governments in the OECS contribute at least US$100,000.

Gonsalves said as soon as the need for medical personnel and electricians has been ascertained, the OECS may also assist in that area.

The slow-moving hurricane brought strong winds, heavy rain and a life-threatening storm surge to The Bahamas, flooding homes and entire villages; with the death toll linked to the hurricane rising to 23 as of Thursday. 

The hurricane made landfall on September 1 and battered the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama, in the north of the archipelago, for two days.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman and St Lucia’s Prime Minister Allen Chastanet on Thursday September 5 led a high level delegation to The Bahamas which included Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley; Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Chairman and Saint Lucia’s Minister for Tourism Dominic Fedee; Secretary-General of CARICOM Ambassador Irwin LaRocque; and the Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Ronald Jackson. 

A release from CARICOM said Chairman Chastanet has been in regular contact with The Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and in a statement released this week, Prime Minister Chastanet says that the Caribbean is in full solidarity with the Government and People of The Bahamas and stands ready to give whatever assistance is required to deal with the effects of this tragedy.

“Immediately, the emphasis must be on assisting our brothers and sisters in The Bahamas in getting back on their feet in the quickest possible time,” he said. 

In advance of Hurricane Dorian, CDEMA took the lead to co-ordinate the Regional Response Mechanism and deployed two Rapid Needs Assessment teams to The Bahamas.  

The purpose of the visit is to continue discussions and see where CARICOM can provide more immediate support.