Caribbean Islands Devastated by Hurricane Beryl as CARICOM Summit Begins

St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique, along with Jamaica, bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl’s fury, with Dominica, St. Lucia, and Barbados also feeling the storm’s impact. Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, who has assumed the chairmanship of the 15-member regional integration movement, outlined the extensive damage on the Grenadine islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

“Ninety percent of all buildings on these islands were destroyed,” Prime Minister Mitchell reported. “Homes, schools, commercial buildings, shops, the airport, port facilities, marinas, gas stations, the hospital, health centers, community centers—all severely damaged. The road infrastructure, the shoreline, the coastline, the economic sectors have been reduced to zero. Carriacou and Petit Martinique are primarily fishing and agricultural communities.”

“The boats, engines, and fishing equipment were all destroyed,” Mitchell continued. “Livestock were badly affected, with many animals dying. In summary, the agriculture sector, fishing sector, marine industry, businesses, and tourism were all badly devastated by Hurricane Beryl.”

Similarly, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines shared the experiences of his citizens on Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island. In the archipelago of 32 islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, nine of which are inhabited, five of the southernmost islands suffered severe devastation.

“Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island, and the resort islands of Mustique and Palm Island were hit hard. Further north, the main Grenadine island of Bequia, while not as devastated as the southern islands, still saw extraordinary damage and loss,” Prime Minister Gonsalves stated. “The main island of St. Vincent also suffered significant damage and loss.”

Grenada is hosting the CARICOM summit, which coincides with its 50th anniversary of political independence from Britain. Prime Minister Mitchell emphasized the importance of showing the world that Grenada is open for business despite the impact of Hurricane Beryl. The ceremonial opening of the summit takes place on Sunday, with usual agenda items including agri-food security, the CARICOM single market and economy, as well as Haiti and regional transportation.

CARICOM Assistant Secretary General Elizabeth Solomon expressed optimism about the developments in Haiti. “This meeting will demonstrate how effective we have been, especially in the last year. The commitment made by CARICOM heads of government to support Haiti through a difficult period has led to significant progress. We now have a Haitian-led, Haitian-owned process with a transitional presidential council and prime minister in place, entirely due to the efforts of Caribbean heads of government.”

During the opening ceremony, the Order of the Caribbean Community will be conferred on former West Indies cricket captain Sir Clive Lloyd of Guyana and Jamaican-born former CARICOM Secretary General Roderick Rainford. The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, is the summit’s special guest.