CARICOM mobilises Hurricane Beryl response

he Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has swiftly responded to the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl, which has battered several member states including Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica, a senior CARICOM Secretariat official has said.

The cyclone’s impact has raised significant concerns about regional trade and economic stability. As the region grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the 51-year-old regional integration movement and the region’s private sector have indicated a united front in addressing the challenges posed by the unprecedented natural disaster.

Ambassador Wayne McCook, CARICOM assistant secretary general for the Single Market and Trade told Barbados TODAY that the regional bloc has been proactive in its approach. “Already, there have been several meetings at the level of heads of government to look at the impact of Beryl and to galvanise regional responses. You’re already seeing reports of member states supporting each other and the community supporting the affected member states. This will only strengthen the information on what the needs of affected countries look like,” he explained.

Ambassador McCook emphasised the region’s resilience, drawing on its history of dealing with natural disasters. “Unfortunately, the region has quite some experience in responding to and recovering from disasters such as hurricanes like Meryl. We know that there is a difficult challenge to be met in rebuilding infrastructure where it has been damaged and restoring livelihoods where businesses have been destroyed. What I can say is that there is a clear commitment within the community and between the community and our partners, international partners, to do what is required to help rebuild where that is necessary,” he said.

The hurricane has also raised concerns about the well-being of staff and operations of major rum producers in the affected areas. Vaughn Renwick, chief executive officer of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers’ Association (WIRSPA), reported on the sector’s status to Barbados TODAY. “We’ve been very lucky. All of our members in the islands—four producers in Grenada, one in St Vincent, and another four producers in Jamaica—have come through safely. Ofcourse, much more than the actual facilities, we’re concerned about the staff who work in these companies,” he said.

Renwick detailed the industry’s immediate response efforts: “As far as we know, everybody is safe and well, but we also recognise that we live in communities that have suffered. Immediately, companies like Grenada Distillers, in Grenada, Demerara Distillers, in Guyana, and St Vincent Distillers have begun work to make contributions and national efforts to provide relief supplies through the Grenadines to Grenada, so north Grenada, Carriacou, Petit Martinique, going up the islands, to Bequia, Union Island, Canouan, et cetera. In Jamaica, companies are also supporting the relief effort because there was quite an impact there as well.” (RG)