Gov’t sends more aid to countries affected by Hurricane Beryl
The Government of Guyana has dispatched another shipment of essential items to support relief efforts for Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines which are the two countries most critically affected by the devastating Hurricane Beryl.
The category four hurricane made landfall last week in Carriacou, Grenada, and subsequently intensified into a category five storm.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, witnessed the loading of the supplies on Saturday, which included food items and building materials.
The initiative directly results from support measures launched by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, as Guyana continues to stand in solidarity with its Caribbean counterparts.
President Ali has been firm in his resolve to send aid to the affected countries.
He has appointed Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips to lead Guyana’s response efforts, in conjunction with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Civil Defence Commission (CDC), and private sector groups.
On Tuesday, July 2, the first shipment of relief aid was handed over to Grenada’s Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment, and Renewable Energy, Hon Kerryne James. It consisted of vital items such as generators, water purification tablets, batteries, hygiene products, and other necessities critical for immediate relief and recovery.
In a live address to the nation on Sunday, President Ali also announced that the CARICOM’s Ministerial Taskforce on Agriculture will meet early this week to coordinate a regional response to the impact of Hurricane Beryl on the agriculture sector.
The president described the situation as ‘horrific’ in Grenada since the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique have had their permanent and cash crops, as well as livestock, destroyed.
Meanwhile, over 80 per cent of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ agriculture sector has been impacted, while the rural communities in Jamaica have suffered the most.
