SVG Hurricane Beryl relief ‘continues to go well’

Verna Arthur, chair of the Brooklyn-based SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) Relief USA, Inc., says relief efforts for her homeland “continues to go well” following the ravages of Hurricane Beryl in early July.

Beryl, the earliest ever recorded Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic, hit the eastern Caribbean on July 1. By then slightly downgraded to a Category 4 storm, it caused significant destruction, particularly to the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. 

The hurricane directly affected over 80,000 people across the two countries, and caused 11 deaths in those locations, the Washington-headquartered Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). 

Arthur told Caribbean Life on July 30 that packing for hurricane relief “ramped up” over the weekend, and that her group had purchased a “substantive number of items” from a Massachusetts company. 

She said some of these items were packed in 5 D containers and 10 commercial bins.

In addition to the “big-ticket items”, Arthur said SVG Relief USA, Inc. is “focusing on” hygiene kits, pillows, adult diapers, flashlights and batteries, as well as 50’ long ropes.

So far, she said nine commercial bins have been shipped and were expected to arrive in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sunday. 

“Items are still being donated, and we expect to purchase 100 mattresses in SVG to be distributed to those in need,” said Arthur, stating that, among the donated items “received and greatly appreciated are wheelchairs, an item we did not have on the list.”

She thanked Vincentian-born Brooklyn resident Leon Browne for negotiating school chairs and desks, as well as La Francophonie organization for supplying office furniture. 

“They were received and are ready to be shipped,” said Arthur, disclosing that her group envisions wrapping up the drive by Sunday. 

“However, we also anticipate last-minute drop-offs and deliveries after the cut-off date,” she added. “Therefore, we will continue to work with the following shipping companies: Standard Shippers, Standard Caribbean Shipping, Square Deal Shippers and KBB Shippers, who will assist us in getting these items to SVG. 

“Thank you to all those who have gracefully participated in this ongoing effort,” Arthur continued. “Let us hope and pray that the active hurricane season is now a thing of the past for us, and/or miraculously bypasses our beautiful islands in its track out to sea.”  

Ever since Hurricane Beryl ravaged several Caribbean islands in its passage, Caribbean nationals in New York have stepped up relief efforts to assist their homeland. 

Many also continue to offer prayers for nationals particularly those of St. Vincent and the Grenadines – notably Union Island, Canouan, Mayreau and Palm Island; Grenada – notably Carriacou and Petite Martinique; and Jamaica, particularly the rural areas. 

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States Rondy “Luta” McIntosh told Caribbean Life: “This is our time to activate and show our brothers and sisters at home that they are not alone. 

“SVG, we will rise again,” he added.

Arthur said her committee is focusing on items required by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, such as generators, cots and tarpaulins, as well as monetary donations. 

“At this time, they are not collecting items of clothing, water and food,” she said, referring to NEMO.  

Dr. Kinta Alexander — a native of Union Island, who lives in Brooklyn — said on July 28 that 99 percent of homes in Union Island were destroyed by Hurricane Beryl and that the island’s “hospital, schools, faith-based organizations, shelters, businesses, and even its airport have been obliterated. 

“This devastation is personal to us,” she said in her appeal. “But in typical Union Island spirit, we won’t be kept down for long. 

Vincentians pose with national flag, with Consul General Rondy McIntosh, fourth from left, in back row.Photo by Nelson A. King

“I’m reaching out to you, not just to share the story of this calamity, but to rally some hope and support,” Dr. Alexander added. “Let’s sprinkle some love and kindness on Union Island, just as it has sprinkled memories and life lessons.” 

She shares her list of needed items on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2FQ2HE5VIQZBA?ref=cm_sw_em_r_un_un_tM6V3WcAchqqX

Items can also be shipped to: 18 Paerdegat 14th Street, Brooklyn NY, 11236. 

Assemblywoman Bichotte Hermelyn, the Haitian-born chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, has been urging Brooklynites to help the Caribbean from damage wreaked by Hurricane Beryl.  

“I urge Brooklynites to rally together and offer support for the victims, and I also encourage you to be comforting neighbors for our borough’s outsized Caribbean community, many of whom have loved ones abroad affected by the hurricane,” said the representative for the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn. 

The United Nations has also called for international solidarity with Grenada, St.  Vincent and the Grenadines, and other Caribbean islands hit hard by Hurricane Beryl.

UN Spokesperson Stephané Dujarric told journalists at the regular press briefing in New York that seven agencies based in Grenada and nine in St. Vincent and the Grenadines “will be augmented by additional UN emergency teams in the coming days.”

“Logistics are going to be a challenge, given the islands’ dispersal, damaged infrastructure and limited accessibility,” he said, adding that the Secretary-General is “very much appealing for strong international solidarity” with Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the other islands that have been hit by the hurricane.

Last week, PAHO said it was supporting the health response in affected Caribbean countries, such as Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, following the devastating passage of Hurricane Beryl.

PAHO said the hurricane also led to widespread damage to infrastructure, including to at least 15 health facilities rendered inoperable.  

“Our hearts go out to the people of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, highlighting PAHO’s support. “PAHO is with you in every step to rebuild and restore access to health in affected communities.

During the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, PAHO said it activated its emergency response mechanisms to provide critical support to Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, through its Emergency Operation Centers in Barbados and Washington, as well as its specialists stationed in both countries, who act as first responders on the ground.

PAHO said its experts in the areas of water and sanitation, health facility damage assessment, environmental health and logistics, have been deployed to the islands to assess the situation on the ground and coordinate the response alongside local health authorities.

While Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were among the hardest hit, PAHO said Hurricane Beryl also caused significant damage to Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Lucia, the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. 

After completing last week a week-long relief mission to Grenada and Carriacou, the larger of Grenada’s two sister isles – the other is Petite Martinique – Trinidadian-born, Brooklyn state Assembly Member Jaime Williams and her 12-member contingent described as “horrific” the severe damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl, as they saw first-hand the ravages of the Category 4 storm particularly on Carriacou. 

“From downed powerlines to the complete destruction of the utility infrastructure, the damage to these countries cannot be overstated,” Williams, who led the contingent that also toured the northern parts of Grenada, told Caribbean Life.

Williams, chair of the New York State Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Emergency Response and Disaster Preparedness, said the purpose of the tour was “to assess needs and provide humanitarian aid to some of the people most impacted by Hurricane Beryl’s fury.”

 On approaching Carriacou, Williams said tears enveloped her eyes.

“The port was severely damaged; boats tumbled on top of each other like weeds; homes totally annihilated by Hurricane Beryl; and clothing, debris, galvanized roofing and trees littered the streets,” she said. “Much of the island is still without electricity or portable drinking water. The roads were also damaged, with electrical wires hanging everywhere.

“The people of Carriacou are doing their best to cope with picking up the pieces, as they canvass the rebuilding, which will require hundreds of millions of dollars to restore,” she added.

Williams disclosed that her team will soon return to Grenada, “boots on the ground, to distribute additional supplies to the hospital of Carriacou and with a focus this time in Petite Martinique.”

The assemblywoman said she is also working with local community groups “to try to secure some of the other pressing needs.”