St. Vincent and the Grenadines: The damage that the then category-4 storm Hurricane Beryl caused to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on July 1 is still being evaluated, and the government is still finding ways to overcome it as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Carlos James, Tourism Minister, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while sharing an update on the tourism sector post Beryl, shared that it would normally take an estimated time of nearly two years for the tourism sector in the island to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl.
James further noted that according to the experts it would take a minimum of 23 months before the island could recover completely from the effects of Beryl. Also, the economic activities will take time to be its normal after the natural hazard that changed a lot in a blink of eye.
Moreover, James also shared the government’s plan, which includes a supplemental budget package valued at EC$136 million for the country.
Further, sharing about the worst affected part of the country that is Southern Grenadines, James stated that this part of the country is majorly dependent on the tourism sector. Also, the government has allocated EC$22 million for the repair of homes. After that, the first and major thing is that the government should inject resources into SMEs (small and midsize enterprises).
The government is also working on providing alternative transportation arrangements, as transportation has been on a halt ever since the Hurricane hit the island.
When sharing the update, James said, “We have to hit ground zero, and we have to put the resources in place to support our stakeholders.”
He also shared about the need to implement a disaster management framework in keeping with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that has been adopted by the United Nations.
This policy will help the government to focus on how to respond immediately after any natural calamity. James stated that two things are important first is the preparedness and later the response to natural hazards.
Further, the minister shared that along with rebuilding or renovating the houses, it should be the next move should also be to focus on the tourism industry and its related businesses so that the islanders can get their livelihoods back and contribute in the country’s economy.
