Eastern Caribbean: Hurricane Beryl - Situation Report No. 01 (As of 7 July 2024)

This report is produced by OCHA in collaboration with the UN Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. It covers the period from 04 to 07 July 2024 and is focused on the impacts in the Eastern Caribbean - separate reports covering Jamaica will be issued until information from all affected areas can be consolidated into a single report.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In Grenada, most evacuations so far have been for medical reasons. However, residents have reported limited access to information about available public transportation between Carriacou and the mainland.

• In Union Island, one of the hardest-hit areas, authorities are accommodating vulnerable people in tourism facilities while conducting ongoing assessments.

• The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has deployed several teams as part of the Regional Response Mechanism including two Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT) for Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

• UNDAC teams have deployed to Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to collaborate with CDEMA and in support to the national disaster offices of both affected countries.

20-40% of homes damaged in Bequia, St Vincent and the Grenadines

98% of houses and infrastructure heavily damaged or destroyed in Union Island, St Vincent and Grenadines

100% of homes destroyed in Canouan, St Vincent and the Grenadines

98% of infrastructure destroyed in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Grenada

13 Pop-up shelters have been established in Carriacou, Grenada

SITUATION OVERVIEW

After passing over the Yucatán Peninsula, Hurricane Beryl weakened to a Tropical Storm and is no longer a threat to the Caribbean. The storm caused severe damage to infrastructure, services and livelihoods in Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica. Exact numbers remain a challenge, as assessments are ongoing amid damage to logistics, power and communications services, as well as power cuts. Several of these islands’ small airstrips have suffered damage, and certain islands can only be accessed by smaller boats, which are hampering logistics efforts. This, in turn, is posing challenges in completing assessments and delivering assistance.

Grenada

In Grenada, the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, as well as northern Grenada, have been the most affected areas. Initial reports from the field indicate a severe level of destruction. There have been five hurricane-related deaths, with four in Carriacou and one in mainland Grenada.

Evacuations so far have been mostly for medical reasons. However, residents have reported limited access to information about available public transportation between Carriacou and the mainland.

Less than 1,000 people remain in shelters. Additional trucks and pickups are being sent by partners to support distribution. While accessibility has improved, some areas remain cut off. Communications remain a challenge. Relief supplies, including tarpaulin and other non-food items (NFIs) and medical supplies are priority needs, with an extensive list of required medical goods expected to be circulated shortly.

Samaritan’s Purse is setting up a 36-bed field hospital in Carriacou. The Grenada Red Cross is restoring family links for those in Carriacou and Petite Martinique with family members not on the islands.

In northern mainland Grenada, two shelters remain open. Authorities have dispatched food packages and tarpaulins to the St. Patrick parish. The Ministry of Mobilization, Implementation, and Transformation is focusing cleanup efforts in St. Mark and St. Patrick.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

In Union Island, one of the hardest-hit areas, authorities are accommodating vulnerable people in tourism facilities, while also carrying out assessments. Gender-based violence (GBV) and child protection assessments have started in shelters.

Evacuations from the affected islands are ongoing. The total number of people who have evacuated is unknown, as are the number of those displaced on the mainland who reside outside the emergency shelter, in rental accommodation or host families.

A food distribution centre is set to begin operating by 10 July. The Ministry of Health is setting up a field hospital in Union Island, where the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) is also setting up a field office. The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross provided dignity kits that have since been distributed across Union Island.

In the southern Grenadines, authorities have ordered 150 latrines to supplement available operational facilities. Two field hospitals are also due to open in the Grenadines to scale up health care services. A Coast Guard vessel is stationing between the Southern Grenadines to scale up security and provide communications support.