UN, partners launch $9 million response plan to help people affected by Hurricane Beryl in Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Panama City, Panama (10 July 2024) – In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl, the strongest in history in the Atlantic Ocean during the month of June, the United Nations and its partners launched a $9 million response plan to provide urgent humanitarian aid to 43,000 people in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Swift action is imperative to meet the pressing needs of people whose homes and livelihoods have vanished overnight,” said Simon Springett, the UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, which includes Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Regional Overview and Response Plan seeks $5 million for Grenada and $4 million for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Hurricane Beryl struck the two countries on 1 July, marking an ominous start to what is predicted to be an intense 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Most of the buildings on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada, and Union Island in Saint Vincent, sustained heavy damage. Aid organizations are continuing to assess the full extent of the damage, but they are hindered by power cuts and downed telecommunications.

Mr. Springett, who visited Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines after they were struck by Hurricane Beryl, said that the devastation is “immense and heartbreaking.” “I talked to many families and individuals whose homes and livelihoods have vanished literally overnight. It is likely that utilities will take a long time to be restored,” the Resident Coordinator noted.

The response plan will help to both support immediate life-saving and early recovery efforts. The UN and its partners, who are supporting the Governments’ response, have identified shelter, food and health care as being among the top priorities.

“International solidarity at this moment is critical in helping people recover from the devastation and rebuild their lives,” Mr. Springett said. “Together, we can help the communities devastated by Hurricane Beryl recover and rebuild stronger than before."

The full Regional Overview and Response Plan can be found here: https://reliefweb.int/node/4076723

Photos and videos are available here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/caribbeanun/albums/

For more information, please contact:

Barbados: Carol A. Gaskin, Communications and Advocacy Officer, UN Resident Coordinator Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, carol-ann.gaskin@un.org, +1 (246) 467 6110

Panama: Véronique Durroux, Head of Information & Advocacy for OCHA ROLAC, durroux@un.org, +507 6674 4740