Curfew lifted in five parishes

Government has announced the lifting of the curfew in the following parishes - St. David, St. John, St. Mark, St. Patrick and Carriacou and Petite Martinique with immediate effect. However, the 6.00 pm to 6.00 am curfew remains in effect for the parishes of St. George and St. Andrew.  Government instituted a curfew following the passage of Hurricane Ivan on September 7 which was followed by looting. The Government is urging the residents of St. George and St. Andrew to respect the hours of the curfew which is necessary in these two parishes to  facilitate the recovery process.

Prime Minister Mitchell condemns price-gouging

Prime Minister the Right Honorable Dr. Keith Mitchell has strongly condemned proprietors and shop-keepers who have unilaterally increased the  price of food. The Prime Minister describes the behaviour of these business people as unconscionable and dishonest. Dr. Mitchell calls it“ looting in another form.” He says it is unfortunate that some Grenadains would use the suffering and pain of others to profiteer and exploit. The Ministry of Finance and other government departments have been bombarded with hundreds of calls from across the nation accusing several community shop keepers and others of increasing prices, in some cases by as much as one hundred percent. Among the goods are flashlight batteries, soft drinks, and basic food items. Prime Minister Mitchell says it is a very serious offence and his government would no longer tolerate such practices.

The Prime Minister continues his visits to villages and communities

People around the country have been receiving personal visits from Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell who has continued his village-to-village and community-to-community trips to meet with victims of Hurricane Ivan. On Sunday the Grenadian leader attended Mass at the make-shift Roman Catholic Church upstairs the L.A Purcell Lumber Yard in St. George’s. The Chief Celebrant was his Lordship, Bishop Vincent Darius. At the end of the Mass Dr. Mitchell chatted and offered words of encouragement to members of the congregation. Later in the day, the Prime Minister spent several hours in many communities in the parish of St Andrew, St. Mark, St. John, and St. Patrick.  He visited several of the shelters, churches and community shops where he spoke to persons who were there. Dr. Mitchell says his message to the people continues to be “We had a tough time but we can make it together. Put aside the differences and let’s work together.” During his visit to food distribution points and shelters the prime Minister says he listened to the complaints and suggestions of the people . According to him people indicated that their most consistent prayers were for unity. He emphasized that his government would do everything possible to ensure that everyone gets relief. Dr. Mitchell says he is highly motivated by the tremendous spirit and resilience shown across the country and is optimistic that Grenada will again prosper and blossom.

Stores re-open in the Capital today

It was an extremely busy day at hardware stores and lumber yards across Grenada today. Hundreds of Grenadians crowded into the various hardware stores to make purchases to repair their damaged homes. Hurricane Ivan, which battered Grenada thirteen days ago, destroyed or knocked off the roofs of more than ninety percent of the houses in Grenada. Wood used for rafters as well as plywood for sealing were available however, galvanize was in short supply. Nevertheless, throughout the day dozens of trucks and pick up vans transported lumber to various communities around St. George’s and the out parishes. Grenadians across the country organized themselves into groups for the purpose of rebuilding homes which lost their roofs during the passage of Hurricane Ivan. The pounding of hammers and the movement of saws were consistently heard in each community. Government is encouraging citizens to get involved in cleaning up their respective villages and to lending a helping hand to their neighbors in rebuilding  homes. More than one hundred Venezuelan  military and civilian personnel  participated in a clean up of the capital city St. George’s from Sunday 19th.

Be fair with fares - bus owners urged

Minister for Communications and Works Dr. Claris Modest-Curwen has called upon bus owners to revert to the approved bus fare which has been unilaterally increased following the passage of Hurricane Ivan. The fare in some parishes has been increased by more than one hundred percent. In a statement on Radio, the Minister says it was inhumane for bus owners to profiteer and exploit passengers during this period of crisis. Customers have also reported to the Ministry of Finance and on CBC Radio Talk that some store owners and community shop keepers have significantly increased the prices on food items and transistor and flashlight batteries. The government has urged shopkeepers to cease the practice immediately or face the consequences.