Private Sector doing its part in hurricane relief efforts – PSC Chairman

…as 2 vessels with relief supplies to set sail soon

The local Private Sector has taken a proactive role in lending assistance to Guyana’s regional neighbours who have been hard-hit by Hurricane Beryl, with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) coordinating relief efforts among its members.
According to PSC Chairman Komal Singh, the Private Sector has in the past sent relief supplies to disaster-hit countries and this time was no different. He further assured that the Private Sector would continue to play its role and that two ships carrying relief supplies from the Private Sector were expected to set sail for hard-hit countries within a week.
“From day one, we’ve engaged fully with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC). And we’re working in close collaboration to offer support to the affected regions. We’re currently in the process of putting together a set of cargo, on a vessel. Hopefully, one will sail this weekend and one will sail next week, with relief supplies for Grenada and St Vincent,” Singh explained.
Hurricane Beryl on Wednesday bashed the south coast of Jamaica, unleashing 140 mph winds before heading west at a brisk pace toward the Cayman Islands. ABC News reported that Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said on Wednesday afternoon that nearly 500 persons were placed in shelters.
According to the ABC report, a hurricane warning was also in effect for Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicted that Beryl would maintain hurricane status later this week as it was expected to cross over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula late Thursday or early this morning and emerge into the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm made landfall on Monday on Carriacou, an island in Grenada. Beryl reached Category Five hurricane status in the Atlantic on Monday, with peak winds of 165 mph (270 kph). In addition to Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, Beryl wreaked havoc in Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago – countries with large Guyanese Diasporas.
On Wednesday, Guyana’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry stated that it was collaborating closely with various consulates to ensure the well-being of Guyanese citizens.
Guyana Times understands that disruptions to telecommunication services and electricity in the affected countries are contributing significantly to the slow transfer of information.

Guyanese affected
Beryl has killed at least nine people. Over 38,000 Guyanese residing in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Trinidad are reportedly affected by the devasting hurricane, which continues to plough through the Caribbean with record-breaking wind speeds, causing massive destruction including loss of lives.
According to information provided by Guyana’s Diaspora Unit, an estimated 20,000 Guyanese in Barbados; 30,000 to 35,000 in Trinidad, and about 3000 in St Vincent and the Grenadines were affected. Further, damage assessments are ongoing in all the affected countries and humanitarian efforts are being continuously mobilised.
A preliminary report prepared by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) indicated that over 3000 persons from Union Island alone in St Vincent and the Grenadines were displaced. In addition to this, the roof of the Union Island airport was destroyed along with the main control tower at the facility.
In fact, there are 75 active shelters in St Vincent and the Grenadines housing over 2000 persons, but none are Guyanese. Moreover, while Barbados, Tobago, and St Lucia have reported minimal damage to infrastructure, 90 per cent of Grenada’s population are affected.
Spokesperson for the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Stéphane Dujarric had disclosed that staff attached to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is working closely with the CDEMA to conduct damage assessments in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
OCHA teams are also in Barbados, supporting the Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Simon Springett, as well as UN partners to help them respond to the hurricane’s impact on Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, where national authorities, UN agencies, and UN partners are assessing the magnitude of the damage, among others. (G3)