The Virgin Islands government will contribute $400,000 to help Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines recover from Hurricane Beryl, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley pledged last week during a major environmental conference hosted in the territory.
Dr. Wheatley made the announcement on July 24 while addressing a cocktail reception for the attendees of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States 11th Council of Ministers for Environmental Sustainability.
“The government and people of the Virgin Islands remember well with great appreciation the outpouring of assistance that we received from the OECS family in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria and are now happy to extend a helping hand to our brethren in your hour of need,” Dr. Wheatley told the OECS delegates, who included government ministers and other officials with responsibility for the environment.
“I am pleased to announce a pledge to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada: $200,000 each to contribute to your relief efforts.”
He also told the council, which is known as COM:ES, that the donations will go to the government of each country to assist with what he predicted will be a long recovery.
Delayed
The conference was initially scheduled for July 3-4, but it was delayed because of Hurricane Beryl’s effect on some of the OECS member states.
“In particular, Hurricane Beryl left a trail of devastation in its wake in Grenada’s Carriacou, where approximately 60 percent of homes were damaged or destroyed, and critical infrastructure, such as roads and power lines, were severely impacted,” Dr. Wheatley said in his opening address to the conference.
“St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s Union Island faced similar devastation, with an estimated 70 percent of buildings sustaining damage and essential services disrupted for weeks.”
Though the premier warned about the danger that climate change poses to the entire region, he also expressed optimism.
“I think of opportunities like employing data-backed, smart land-use planning, resilient building design and new financing models to build Category 5-ready islands; the potential for mangrove reforestation and coral restoration initiatives to help secure our vulnerable coastlines from stronger storm surge, while bolstering the foundations of our blue economy; and the obvious opportunities like renewable energy and the wider green economy,” he said.
The region’s size, he added, may make such goals more manageable.
“Our smallness makes the notion of Category 5-ready hurricane countries, 100 percent renewable powered grids, zero waste and sustainable balanced development not crazy, aloof ideas, but feasible aspirations attainable with focused action,” he told attendees.
Incoming chair
Also during the COM:ES conference, which was held at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, Dr. Wheatley assumed the role of incoming chair.
The meeting agenda included discussions on climate change, biodiversity, ocean governance and fisheries, chemical pollution and waste, land and water conservation, sustainable energy and other topics.
The event also featured an exhibition with displays from the OECS Commission; the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change; and non-profit organisations including Beyond the Reef and Green VI.
COM:ES is responsible for overseeing and facilitating the implementation of the St. George’s Declaration of Principles for Environmental Sustainability in the OECS to “minimise environmental vulnerability, improve environmental management and protect the region’s natural resource base for optimal social and economic benefits for member states of the OECS,” according to GIS.
NGOs collecting aid too
As the government prepares to send $400,000 to countries affected by Beryl, other VI organisations are assisting as well.
A three-pronged response is under way thanks to VI Rotary and Lions clubs, the BVI Red Cross, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, the Department of Disaster Management, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management, according to a press release issued by the partners.
One prong is headed by the Lions, who are spearheading a relief drive with plans to send a first shipment of supplies to SVG and Grenada on Sunday.
“We are coordinating our efforts directly with Lions clubs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, who are targeting the needs of the households there,” said Amorrell Newton, president of the Tortola club.
The collected items will be consolidated at a warehouse in the VI, where volunteers from the Lions, Rotary, Red Cross, ADRA and the wider community will prepare them for shipment under the guidance of DDM logistics expert Cecil Alex Jeffery.
Other prongs
Another prong of the relief efforts is a Rotary fundraiser, which aims to raise $50,000 in partnership with other NGOs to help rebuild and repair schools, homes and other critical structures.
The funds will be sent through the Rotary clubs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Jamaica, according to the press release.
The third prong is a cash assistance programme led by the BVI Red Cross, which is working with the International Federation of Red Cross to raise funds for SVG, Grenada and Jamaica through the Red Cross’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund.