ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Jul 17, CMC – Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell Wednesday acknowledged that assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl is a “tedious process” but is necessary in order to provide the regional and international community with a clear picture of the situation in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
“So, it is a tedious process, but we must do it if we are able to accurately assess the financial consequences of the damage and ruin that have been brought upon Grenada and the cost it will take to rebuild,” Mitchell told a new conference.
He said as a result, the government is seeking to rely on its international partners, the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and other agencies to “do a comprehensive damage assessment.
“We anticipate that this will take place within the next month to two so that we can then present as accurate as possible to the nation, to the region and to the wider world the extent of the damage brought by Hurricane Beryl,” Mitchell said. Watch video
Mitchell, along with his colleagues from the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Tuesday toured the Grenadine islands of Canouan, for a firsthand look at the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl when it made its way through the Windward Islands on July 1, leaving a trial of death and destruction in the Grenadines including Carriacou, Petite Martinique, Union Island, Canouan and Mayreau.
“I am aware that several people have been asking us to give ball park figures,” he said, noting that the government has been advised that ‘simply throwing figures out, simply because we have been asked is not the responsible thing to do.
“We should seek as much as possible to ensure that we are accurate with our assessment and when we present those figures to the world, it is an accurate assessment of what has in fact happened.”
But Mitchell said he wanted to emphasis that the government would not underestimate the extent of the damage, the extent of the relief required and the extent of the recovery.
He said for instance, in the marine and fishing sector, there has been widespread destruction to the aqua sector with “most if not all of the sea moss nurseries being completely destroyed.
He said in the case of Carriacou and Petite Martinque, the marinas have taken a severe battering with several boats either completely destroyed or significantly damaged.
“All of this has to be accounted for, all of this has to be removed …and it has to be paid for,” Mitchell said, adding that there is also the environmental problem of the boats leaking oil as a result of being damaged.
He said the agricultural sector has also been severely affected by the category 4 storm with all crops, including nutmeg, cocoa, bananas, plantains as well as fruit trees being affected.
“It means that the government will have to work with our farmers and our farmers’ cooperatives to not just get building materials but to assist farmers with clearing lands, the debris, getting planting material…and starting the process all over again.”
He said during that period, farmers will not be receiving finances due to the fact that “they would have nothing to sell “and so it means the government will have to consider providing support to the farmers who are impacted.
“As the Minister of Finance has indicated this is not something we can do by the pressing of a button, it requires us to have a clear understanding of the extent of the destruction, the number of farmers impacted and to engage with them …to ensure that the support we will provide is meaningful, tangible and will ultimately lead to the rebuilding of the agricultural sector”.
Mitchell said that education and public health sectors have also been affected with some schools being used as shelters and the fear also of the transmission of various diseases given the current situation.
He said the government is moving to ensure that “sufficient relief” is made available to all those who have been impacted by the storm and urged people to participate in the clean up exercise.
“The clean up is significant because if you go to Carriacou once and you are not depressed you are not human. If you go two or three or four times, you will become depressed, and to assist in minimising that we have to ensure that the clean-up happens as quickly as possible.
“But the clean-up task is mammoth, it is going to take several weeks it is going to take hundreds of persons, it is going to take a lot of equipment,” he said, notwithstanding the work already done by the volunteers.
“We are relying on our citizens, we are relying on the business community, we are relying on the various sectors, especially those that have been impacted to come forward with their suggestions, recommendations as to how we go about the rebuilding process,” he said, adding that the government will be meeting with the business community in Petite Martinique and Carriacou on Friday to get their views on what should be the fiscal incentives, policies and recommendations going forward.
He said discussions would also take place on the mainland, particularly with those involved in the construction industry “because they will be crucial in assisting us to ensuring we take the appropriate measures to incentivize the rebuilding and the continued building of homes, businesses and other properties in Grenada at a much higher standard”
Mitchell also called on the churches in Grenada to play a role in the rebuilding efforts, saying he believes “there is a sliver lining coming out of this very dark episode.”
Download video – Grenada PM Dickon Mitchell
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