Caricom Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque has expressed profound sadness at the loss of life in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia from heavy rains and the destruction wrought on the two islands and Dominica.
In a message of condolence released by Caricom yesterday, LaRocque also gave the assurance that the Community stood ready to provide all possible assistance in the recovery and rebuilding efforts.
“On behalf of the Community, I extend deepest sympathy to those persons who lost loved ones, were injured or displaced or suffered damage to property, and lament the damage to infrastructure as a result of the severe weather.
The Community shares the concerns of the families of those who remain missing, and prays that they are found safe and sound.
“The Community’s regional emergency response mechanism has been activated.
As the process of recovery and rebuilding begins, I wish to assure those persons who are affected that the Community stands ready to render all possible assistance as the Member States seek to rebuild from the destruction,” the Secretary-General said.
LaRocque has visited some of the affected areas in Dominica and has been in contact with Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minster of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minster of Dominica. He has also been in touch with the Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
The release said that LaRocque has also held discussions with Ronald Jackson, Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDEMA) and government officials who are involved in the recovery operations. CDEMA, the release said, conducted site visits to the affected areas over the weekend.
Persad-Bissessar, who has responsibility for Security in the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, has dispatched emergency supplies, upon request, to Saint Lucia, and, on Friday, sent a team to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to assess the needs there, the release said.