BASSETERRE, St. Kitts -- WITH residents in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines continuing to pick up the pieces from Hurricane Beryl, the Federation’s Prime Minister has described the situation as “heart-wrenching.”
This comes as he and several other prime ministers from across the region recently had a firsthand look at the devastation during a tour of Grenada.
“One has to be there to fully understand. I don't think that the pictures really convey the level of hurt of the people, the level of devastation,” the prime minister said in response to an SKNVibes question. “I mean, it was difficult and challenging to find one building that was not affected.”
On Monday (July 1), Hurricane Beryl made landfall, lashing Grenada, SVG, and their dependent islands as a major Category Four storm, resulting in deaths and mass destruction. Rebuilding and humanitarian efforts are now underway, but they face challenges due to ongoing assessments, the remote nature of some locations, and continued changing weather conditions.
In his assessment to reporters, the prime minister explained that there are people with tarpaulins on their roofs, houses destroyed, those living in shelters for extended periods, and people sleeping in tents without proper connections. In some instances, water is being trucked in.
The situation has been described as “heart-wrenching” due to the ongoing difficulties those affected by the storms are facing, and the fact that the region continues to produce little in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to the development of stronger storms like Hurricane Beryl.
“My heart goes out to the people of the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Vincent, after such a hit by a significant storm so early in the Arctic season,” Dr. Drew expressed.
With forecasters predicting an above-normal 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and the region experiencing such a strong storm early on, regional leaders are using this as a learning curve for all to be prepared.
SKNVibes asked the prime minister on the sidelines of the 2024 Gateway Investment Summit, “What were the lessons learned from this trip that you brought back to St. Kitts and Nevis?”
“So what I learned is that the whole concept of a sustainable island state is the correct one. If ever there was any question about whether we should chart a course of sustainability, I think what happened in St. Vincent, Grenada, and the Grenadines really elucidates how important it is for us to really try to get to a sustainable island state,” Dr Drew said.
Being prepared is critical, the PM noted, emphasizing that storms can impact any territory and ensuring that the infrastructure remains intact for as long as possible is paramount.
As the prime minister noted, the talk of climate change and the loss and damage fund must be considered due to the role the region plays. Over the last several years, there have been calls for the global temperature to remain below 1.5°C, as that rise will fuel stronger storms and rising sea levels.
Equally, climatologists have warned that those storms will grow stronger and cause major damage to small island developing states such as those within the Caribbean region. Dr. Drew and his counterparts from across the region have been lobbying for climate justice and more assistance for vulnerable small island developing states.
Dr. Drew emphasized that it will cost the Federation “billions of dollars to adapt to climate change” because the world is likely to miss the “1.5 to stay alive” theme.
“We have gone above 1.5, which means we can expect these types of cataclysmic events to continue. So we have to rush to a sustainable island state. We have no time, because at any point we can be hit by a devastating storm that can set us back for, I would say, decades," warned the prime minister.
Dr. Drew continued: “Because with multiple countries affected at the same time, one can only imagine that resources are limited. But I want to make the point also that we cannot spend our way out of it, even if we had the billions. The countries that emit the greenhouse gases, they must cut!”
In his bleak outlook, Dr. Drew warned that “if the temperature continues to rise, we can expect this to get worse, which means our very existence will be at risk. So this is why we call it an existential threat, because with storms like these destroying what people would have used, built over decades, probably generations, disappearing in just a few hours, that I think is a stark lesson, and it is unfair as well.
As concerns about rising temperatures grow, the Federation is facing drought-like conditions, resulting in limited rainfall. Additionally, there are worries about food security in the event of a major storm impacting the territory.
Samal Duggins, the Agriculture Minister, highlighted the need for preparedness in the face of climate change, noting that storms are becoming more frequent and intense. He told SKNVibes News that plans are already in place to address challenges posed by both drought and hurricanes.
“We have already integrated and incorporated these considerations into our programmes,” Duggins explained. “The drought resilience techniques we use and the structure of our programmes also take storm resilience into account, because we must be prepared.”
Given the region’s vulnerability to hurricanes, there are plans to introduce mitigation strategies that will benefit the agriculture sector.
The issues of climate justice and climate financing will continue to be hot button topics up for discussion by regional leaders during the upcoming CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, COP 29, and at the United Nations meetings.
