There have been reports of some 12 deaths in Saint Lucia in the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas, which hit mainly the southern half of the island, triggering mudslides and cutting off electricity.
According to updates posted about Saint Lucia on the Caribbean Hurricane Network yesterday, it was reported that 12 people had lost their lives in landslides in the Canaries and Vieux Fort areas. One was said to have been a tourist whose car was washed off a road.
Yesterday officers from the Central and Gros Islet police stations said that areas such as Soufriere, Vieux Forte and the Canaries in the south have been hit the hardest.
The Gros Islet office said that there had been deaths but they were not able to confirm the number. The officer told this newspaper that there were more than five deaths. There were confirmed reports of three deaths in Soufriere.
Heavy rainfall battered the island on Saturday night and eased off on Sunday morning. The road to the hospital in Soufriere was impassable and electricity was down on the southern part of the island.
The government was said to be handling the crisis reasonably well to ensure that blocked roads are reopened. Businesses were closed yesterday to facilitate clean up efforts, this newspaper learnt.
Local telephone providers gave all their customers free credit so that they could get in touch with relatives, though owing to the storm, the service was intermittent.
