BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THREE Caribbean countries have been severely affected by the passage of a slow moving low level trough on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) that left 15 people dead and a number of others missing, as well as damage to homes and thoroughfares.
The three affected islands are St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Dominica. However, there was no report of loss of life in Dominica, but six reportedly died in St. Lucia and nine in St. Vincent, an increase of two from a previous article published by this media house.
According to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), yesterday (Dec. 26), several communities had remained cut-off as Vincentians continued to count their human and material losses.
CMC stated that, according to unconfirmed reports, the bodies of two people were found and the search was still continuing for at least two other people reported missing.
“So far there have been nine confirmed deaths from the floods associated with the heavy rains and winds that began battering the island of Christmas Eve,” CMC reported.
The island’s National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) reported that several communities remain cut-off due to damaged bridges and blocked roads.
“Vehicular traffic cannot enter or leave the North Windward community of Sandy Bay, and several blockages from landslides are preventing access to communities in North Leeward. The Caratal bridge is damaged, and a Bailey by-pass bridge in Colonarie was washed away,” NEMO said in a statement posted on its website.
The organisation also said that the Central Water and Sewerage Authority is continuing its assessment and that 50 percent of consumers are without pipe-borne water and some of them would be without it at least until tomorrow.
NEMO further said that a number of houses were destroyed or damaged and it is providing sleeping bags, comfort kits and jerry cans to those affected.
Meanwhile, clean-up campaigns have started in St. Lucia and electricity as well as other services were being gradually restored less than 24 hours after the widespread flood on that island.
According to CMC, the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) said that it had been able to restore power to “nearly all areas that had been affected by outages resulting from the heavy rains and severe lightning”.
LUCELEC Transmission and Distribution Manager Gilroy Pultie acknowledged that some areas in the south of the island that had been severely battered by the rains and winds have not been re-energised, but hoped the situation would be completed as soon as possible as crews deal with fallen poles and trees that have brought down power lines.
“All other areas around the island have power, except for a few isolated pockets which will be attended to over the next several hours.”
And telecommunications company, LIME, said that it was gradually restoring services to customers and that the network link between Bexon and Dennery was once more functional.
“All services off these nodes including Cell Sites in the valley and the village, as well as Police and Fire Stations, have been restored,” promising that “service restoration teams will continue working through the night to get the rest of the affected communities online, including Vieux Fort, Canaries and Soufriere”.
CMC reported Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony telling nationals that he could not “recall when we have had such heavy rainfall on the eve of Christmas”n and that the main opposition United Workers Party said it was “saddened by the widespread destruction caused by heavy rains on Christmas Eve”.
It was earlier reported that five people had died on that island. However, Head of the St. Lucia Government Information Service, Kirby Allain told WINN FM that the death toll had risen by one.
In the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Trinidad Guardian spoke with that island’s acting National Disaster Coordinator Don Corriette, who said that while the country had experienced heavy rains over the past two and a half weeks that resulted in very saturated soil, no one had expected the devastation which began around 2:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve and ended just after 9:00 a.m. on Christmas Day.
Corriette reportedly told the Guardian that the southern part of the island was severely hit, adding: “It’s really one third of the island that was really badly affected.”
He informed that the torrential rains had triggered 35 small landslips.
“It was a bleak Christmas Eve. People obviously did not plan their Christmas to be like this. It did cause level of distress and anxiety leaving many not knowing what to do next...we have tried our best to stabilise the people,” the Guardian quoted Corriette as saying.
He however declared that despite the fact that some 35 to 40 people have been displaced, Dominica generally had “bounced back”.
“We have been doing all we can to help those who have been displaced by giving food, water, clothing, shelter...whatever is the case we are doing what we need to ensure families have some level of comfort. We have bounced back to the extent where people have begun to resettle.”