Shock and despair are the prevailing emotions among residents of Carriacou as they struggle to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Beryl. The hurricane hit the island on July 1, a little over three weeks ago.
Development economist and former Newsday columnist Kiran Mathur Mohammed is currently volunteering in Grenada with the Australian volunteer organisation Third Wave Volunteers, as well as other organisations, to assist in relief efforts.
Mohammed said he had done relief work in Afghanistan, Venezuela and Ukraine, but this was his first disaster mission in the Caribbean.
“In Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, we’re surrounded by this heavy energy. There’s a lot of complaints, everyone is mad in traffic, etc but being here, being with people who have been totally wiped out and lost everything, feeling and touching them, and feeling compassion from their hearts, that has been a blessing for me.
“There’s a real sense of community. We would be giving out lights and they would say, ‘No, give it to my neighbour.’ They wanted to make sure their neighbour had one rather than them having two. It brought out the best of how we are as Caribbean people. Any sort of division goes away. So many people just want to be held. It totally shifts your perspective completely where you just want to give love and be of service. As a Trini, it profoundly hit me that all these people are my people as well.”
Speaking to Newsday via Google Meet on July 18, Rotary Club of Grenada president Colin Francis said the mood on the ground was one of shock and despair.
“People don’t know where to begin. They sit every day, and if you’ve ever been in a situation where you didn’t know where to begin, you see all the things that need to be done, but you just don’t know where to start. Carriacou has a high number of single mothers who need to begin somewhere and they need help. Just imagine the normal struggle they have and now it’s compounded by several digits.
“We have to prepare to address mental health and wellness, if not immediately, in the immediate future, making sure there are ways people could have on-the-ground access to people trained to deal with mental health, whether through a toll-free number, and maybe that’s where other islands could provide assistance.”
Francis said the island had been devastated by the hurricane, with over 95 per cent of homes and facilities being destroyed.
“Most people are living with families in basements with this point because the top floor or roof is gone. That can be seen as a health risk as you have 10-15 people living in a very confined space.
“Other people are living in overcrowded shelters. Others just choose to remain home with tarpaulins over the roofs, and you can imagine the conditions with no electricity, no running water, mosquitoes, it’s just a recipe for other disasters.”
Francis said there’s a need for more tarpaulins, generators, solar lights, tin roofing, lumber and other construction supplies. He said it would take some time for the electricit
