| United States provides more US$1 million in aid ... and promises substantially more The United States Government has to date provided more than US$1 million in relief aid, personnel, equipment, and transportation to assist in the relief and restoration process in Grenada. US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, told Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell that a significant aid package is in the making for the Spice Island. He said the United States would also be sending a team of Army Engineers to help in the construction of homes on the island. The Americans would also be helping in the provision power and the general restoration of the country. Aid has been flowing through the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance of the US Agency for International Development (USAID/OFDA).
USAID has operated four flights from Miami to Grenada between September 10 and 22, 2004 with relief supplies totalling US$567,510. The agency provided the following supplies:
Death toll Health officials have confirmed that 29 people lost their lives because of the passage of Hurricane Ivan, which devastated the country Tuesday September 7th 2004. They have reported that there were some thirty-seven deaths during the period September 8th-19th, with Ivan doing most of the damage. One youngster in Beaulieu lost both his young sister and mother, while a mother and her two kids in Darbeau perished from the ferocity of the Hurricane. Hospital officials also report that 615 injuries were recorded at the Casualty Department of the General Hospital in St. George’s, while another 51 were recorded at the Princess Alice Hospital in St. Andrew. Schools to re-open in October Efforts are being made to reopen most of the nation’s school some time in October. That’s according Minister responsible for the operations of the National Emergency Relief Organization (NERO), Brenda Hood. Hold told reporters at a press conference this afternoon that a concerted effort is being made to get students back to school by the second week of next month. She said even though it might take time to repair the schools, which have been severely damaged, they are plans to set-up make shift schools with tents throughout the various parishes, until the institutions are repaired. Mrs. Hood said that there are also plans to relocate some of the students to the various community centres throughout the country. She stressed that a big effort is being made to get the students back to school in October. Alpha Junior School in Mt. Parnassus, has already reopened its doors and several others are expected to follow suit in the coming weeks.
CARICOM and international Agencies have made a UN flash appeal for Grenada in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, which devastated the country. Tourism Minister Brenda Hood, who briefed the press in Barbados yesterday on the situation in the country, said that a proposal is being prepared, to be forwarded to the United Nations. The proposal, which would look at the items needed to operate the country for six months, including finance, would be presented to the United Nation’s when it meets early next month. Local officials are expecting a speedy response from the United Nation’s since Government’s revenue generating measures are almost null and void at this time. No taxes are now being collected at the Customs on food and relief items, while the crucial tourism and agriculture sectors have been battered and would time some time to rebound. NERO clean up The biggest clean up drive in the history of Grenada is all set to take off this weekend. The Ministry of Works has organized the massive clean up in response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Ivan on September 7. The Killer Hurricane left a trail of debris in every village. Galvanize sheets, broken - glasses, timber, uprooted rooted trees and branches still spread over a wide cross section of the country. The Ministry is urging the entire population to come out on Saturday and Sunday with spades, forks, broomes, chain-saws, cutlasses, rakes and other equipment to actively participate in the clean of their respective communities. The Ministry of Works is also requesting services of trucks, pick up vans and heavy-duty vehicles for the venture. Church and community leaders are called upon to encourage and mobilize their members and to be a part of the National clean up drive. Already one hundred twenty Venezuelan military and civil personnel have been engaged in the clean up of the City of St. George’s. Grenadians are urged to see this clean up as another effort to help return Grenada to normalcy. Port returning to normalcy Port St. George experienced one of its most hectic days in recent years. Hundreds of Grenadians today crowded the CARICOM Jetty area to collect food parcels and other items sent to them by friends and families from neighbouring Trinidad. The boats arrived this morning at the CARICOM Jetty and thereafter it was a constant movement of people to collect the various items. Trinidad and Tobago has been one of the strongest bases of support for Grenada, since the passage of Hurricane Ivan. Venezuela pledges support ... including new radio station The Government and people of Venezuela are also providing assistance for Hurricane-stricken Grenada. President Hugo Chavez, who spoke to Prime Minister Mitchell via telephone, immediately following the disaster, told him that a number of items were on the way to help in the relief process. The Venezuelan leader said that 25,000 tons of food items, medical supplies and building materials were dispatched. President Chavez said that his country was also sending 150 men- military and civilians to help in the restoration process. The Spanish-speaking Republic has also promised to construct 150 homes for nationals. Prime Minister Mitchell said he eagerly looking forward to support from the Venezuelans, especially in the reconstruction of homes. The Venezuelan Government has also promised to assist the country with the restoration of electricity. President Chavez has acceded to the request of Prime Minister Mitchell, and has promised to also sent a number of generators to help in the supply of electricity, which local officials say could up to six months to return the country to state it was before the intrusion of Ivan "the Terrible". President Chavez has also responded positively to the request of Prime Minister Mitchell for support of modern day Radio and Television Station. The Government Information Service (GIS) would operate the new facility. Dr. Mitchell considers such an acquisition as vital, since the communication system was virtually shut down by Hurricane Ivan. Communication with the population immediately after the disaster was virtually impossible. Thank you RSS The Regional Security Services (RSS) gets high marks from Prime Minister Keith Mitchell. He commended the work of the regional security forces, who he said was very instrumental in helping to return peace and quite to the country. The RSS arrived shortly after the passage of Ivan "the Terrible", and was very much involved in stopping the looting and disorder that broke out following the Hurricane. The Regional Security Forces are expected to stay on in Grenada until the state of emergency is lifted. Meanwhile the 24- hour curfew, which began effective after Hurricane Ivan is now effective in two parishes St. George and st. Andrew, between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm. Government and Opposition sign agreement The Grenada Government and the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have agreed to join forces and work in the interest of the country during the present state of emergency. At a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, the two parties pledged to be in the forefront of the restoration of the county, following the passage of Ivan "the Terrible". The once bitter enemies have decided to shelve their differences and agreed and work should to shoulder for the speedy return of normalcy to the Spice isle. The Parties have formed a joint committee, which would meet every three days to handle the day-to-day affairs of the country. They have established a memorandum of understanding to govern they operations. Several decisions have been reached. It has been agreed that politicians would not be part of the food distribution process in an attempt to de-politicize the operations and that all parliamentarians, would refrain from making statements of a damaging and political nature at this time. Love and together and togetherness is the prescription at this time. Parliamentary Representative for the South – the honorable Glyniss Roberts and Minister of Communications of Works and Transport, are in charge of the operations. A monitoring committee has also been formed oversees the effective operations of the process. Parliamentary Representative for St. George North East Nasim Burke and Agriculture Minister Gregory Bowen, have been entrusted with the responsibilities to monitor and report on the behaviour of parliamentarians. Meantime, the distribution of food supplies is being beefed up as efforts are being intensified to bring relief to nationals, following the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. Cabinet last week decided to establish six points in the various parishes, from where food supplies will be distributed. The points are- Cuthbert Peter’s Park in St. John, the Grenville Recreation in St. Andrew, the Bellvue Playing Field in St. David, Mt. Craven Park in St. Patrick, the Alston George Park in St. Mark and the SSU Camp in Point Saline St. David. Prime Minister Mitchell has assured the nation that several trucks have been mobilized to take the items from the various points into the many villages and communities to bring relief to all. He says that concessions have also been granted to nationals importing food supplies, during the state of emergency, which is expected to last between six to eight weeks. Republic of China offers a helping hand The Republic of China (ROC) is currently working out an assistance package for Grenada in the aftermath of Ivan "the Terrible". The ROC has been presented with a formal proposal for support by the Grenada Government, as a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Tan Sun Chen, visited Prime Minister Mitchell Saturday September 18th, 2004. Grenada is seeking assistance from the ROC for debt relief, the complete reconstruction of the National stadium in time for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. The Hurricane-stricken Island is also looking for budgetary support, support for the reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure - farm roads and the assistance for the resuscitation of the ravaged Tourism and Agriculture industries. Debt relief Prime Minister Mitchell says is crucial in these times, since the country would first and foremost have to deal with the needs of the people and would be powerless to repay debt at this time. “The hosting of the World Cup is certainly important, not just from the an economic and sporting standpoint, but will also impact on the national psyche. We have to do it for the Grenadian man, woman and child”, affirmed the Prime Minister. The Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of China has expressed his condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and has assured nationals that his country would be very much part of the restoration process. He was saddened by the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Ivan. “I Came to see and get first hand information of the serious damage and to get a feel as to the kind of assistance we can provide”, Foreign Minister Tan Sun Chen told the Grenadian Voice Newspaper. The Foreign Minister meanwhile, handed over fifteen trucks to his local counterpart Elvin Nimrod, to help in the restoration process. The ships arrived Saturday morning on a boat from Venezuela. PM: Overwhelming support for Grenada Prime Minister, Dr. The Right Honourable Keith Mitchell, says there is an overwhelming outpouring of support for Grenada, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan, which destroyed and severely damaged ninety percent of homes and buildings. Dr. Mitchell has been high in praise for the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, whom he said have been one of the strongest base of support. Foods, supplies and other assistance have been pouring in from the Twin Island Republic, since the passage of Ivan "the Terrible", on September 7th, 2004. Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who has described the ravages as dogs attacking a garbage bin, was one of three regional leaders, who visited Prime Minister Mitchell to provide support and comfort from their respective countries. The other Prime Ministers were Dr. Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia and Dr. Ralph Gonzalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They have pledged to assist in rebuilding Grenada’s housing stock. Dr. Mitchell has also extended his appreciation to the people of Barbados, who have also been providing relief to nationals. A Tele-ton organized by the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) by last weekend had raised over a million dollars for the people of Hurricane-stricken Grenada. The support from the Barbados Government, Non Governmental Organizations and the community in general has been commendable. Pledges of assistance have also been secured from the Bahamas, Venezuela, Curacoa, the United States, France and Canada. The World Bank has also pledged support according to the Prime Minister Mitchell. It has promised to provide five million US dollars as a start along with significant technical support. “If we use the support well, we are not going to be short of resources” said Prime Minister Mitchell, who has called on his countrymen to join hands and hearts to rebuild the country. “We have done it before and we can do it again- rise forcefully from the adversity of Ivan”. Sir Dwight: Quick return to normalcy crucial Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Sir Dwight Venner, says that as the country attempts to rebound from the terrifying effects Hurricane Ivan, it must seek to return to normalcy as in the quickest possible time. “The critical thing now is to review how the economy is going to brought back to normalcy. There are short term measures to be undertaken, but the crucial is normalcy”, the ECCB Governor told the Grenadian Voice Newspaper in an exclusive interview. “We need to move very fast to get the place cleaned up and return to normalcy as soon as possible”, he advised. He said that the key agencies like the Ministry of Finance and Public Works would have to orchestrate the process. “You need to get the children back to school, the health services going and commerce moving again”. He said from the experiences of Hurricanes in the Leeward Islands, the big challenge is to mobilize people to take car of business. The ECCB Governor says the aforementioned developments should be in place in at least three months for the country to get back in motion. Sir Dwight Venner was in the country last Friday to discuss the possible assistance the Bank can provide to the country, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan. Fiscal tranches for structural adjustment purposes and natural disasters are among the facilities being offered by the Bank. “There is a moratorium on the repayment so that the countries can themselves. The rates of interest are not burdensome”. The Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank says a similar facility has been granted to help Dominica out of its financial troubles. Sir Dwight Venner, who grew up in Grenada and received his secondary education at the Grenada Boys Secondary School, was shocked at the destruction caused by the Hurricane. He has extended his sympathy to all his friends, schoolmates and the country at heart. He said national should take heart that the regional and international communities are with Grenada in this crisis. |