IN the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) prime minister Ralph Gonsalves has pledged a determined and unified effort to rebuild the southern Grenadines.
In a Facebook video on July 3, Dr Gonsalves was seen flying over the islands, which bore the brunt of Beryl's fury.
Hurricane Beryl was the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season. After fluctuating between categories three and four, it returned to category four strength on July 1 as it approached the Windwards.
The US National Hurricane Center warned of "life-threatening winds and dangerous storm surge" as Beryl passed over Carriacou and threatened the southeastern and central Caribbean. It affected Jamaica on July 3.
Hurricane warnings were issued for Barbados, Grenada, Tobago and St Vincent and the Grenadines. There were tropical storm warnings for Martinique, Trinidad, St Lucia, parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Grenadine islands of Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau and Palm Island were left in ruins. Gonsalves described Union Island as "a field of devastation."
On July 1, he confirmed one death, and more were expected to be confirmed.
"We want to build it back better and stronger. We will comfort, console, clothe, shelter and feed our people."
He promised the communities affected would not face this challenge alone.
"They are us, and we are them."
The video documented Gonsalves visiting the ravaged islands, where he met with families and surveyed the damage. He embraced residents, walking among the wreckage and was seen using a piece of galvanised roofing as a makeshift plank to cross a flooded road.
Despite the destruction, a remarkable spirit of resilience and community prevailed. In one clip, a group delivering supplies laughed as they rode a golf cart, with one person playfully jumping on.
Scores of community members were seen providing support to each other while fire service officers in uniform and PPE assisted with relief efforts.
The stark imagery included a plane split in half by the hurricane's force and the sight of roofs torn from nearly every building.
Union Island was particularly hard-hit, with the roof of the airport terminal completely gone and the building severely compromised. Hospitals and other state facilities also suffered extensive damage.
Gonsalves noted the profound sense of shock among the people, but emphasised their determination to rebuild.
"We want to turn this terrible thing into an advance," he said.
Speaking to a woman with two children, Gonsalves recounted her resolute words: "Go where? I am not going anywhere. I am building back here."
Acknowledging the trauma and strain evident in the faces of men, women, and children, he remained optimistic.
"The isolation of these islands complicates relief efforts, but we have to get the cleanup going."
Reflecting on the magnitude of the loss, he observed, "People have spent a lot of money and worked hard, people of different walks of life, different occupations –and within a 48-hour period, it's
