Guyana standing by to assist Eastern Caribbean islands

– President Ramotar offers sympathy to PM Anthony, PM Gonsalves

GUYANA is standing by to assist several Eastern Caribbean islands where people have died and infrastructure was damaged due to severe rains, heavy winds and floods, the Foreign Affairs Ministry indicated recently.

No details of the assistance were provided but, in the past, this country has deployed soldiers as part of a Caribbean contingent to islands such as Grenada and Montserrat that were ravaged by hurricanes.
Oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago has already announced that it would be aiding in recovery efforts. Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been badly affected by the weather conditions since Christmas Eve.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that eight persons were killed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where there has been heavy flooding and landslides.
In St. Lucia, one policeman was killed while, reportedly, trying to save persons who were in difficulty after torrential rain on Christmas Eve and the bodies of four other persons were found.

President Donald Ramotar, in a telephone call on Boxing Day, extended his sympathies to Dr. Kenny Anthony, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, on the loss of lives and damage to property and infrastructure caused by the severe rains and heavy winds which swept over the Eastern Caribbean over the 24-hour period from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported that, on account of communication difficulties, President Ramotar was unable to reach Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines to convey similar sentiments.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines was also severely affected by the weather system, with lives lost and several communities across the country affected by power outages and cut off by damaged bridges and blocked roads.

RECOVERY EFFORTS
According to GINA, the Government of Guyana will continue to monitor the situation and reports from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency with a view to supporting the recovery efforts of the affected Member States of the Eastern Caribbean.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency Thursday afternoon reported that:
* Severe rains and high winds, due to a low level trough system would have impacted the participating States of CDEMA’s Central Sub-Region of Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica through Monday, December 23 to Wednesday, December 25.
The prognosis by the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) stated that a small low level trough had moved into the Eastern Caribbean under the influence of a mid to upper level trough. The orientation of the eastern side of the upper level trough had, significantly, enhanced showers and thunderstorm activity over the States of the Eastern Caribbean.
Between December 23 and Dominica 24, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia began reporting heavy showery activity with accumulations over that 12 to 24 hours period.