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• Hurricanes devastate Caribbean

Hurricanes devastate Caribbean

First Ivan...

Grenada, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands were the countries in the Caribbean region lashed most severely by Hurricane Ivan.
 
In Jamaica, at least 14 people died when 155mph winds and torrential rain hit the island on Saturday, 11 September. Waves of up to two-storeys high ripped up trees and roofs.
 
Heavy downpours caused flash flooding, forcing many people to flee their homes, and there have been landslides. Around half a million people in low-lying areas, a fifth of the population, were urged to head for shelters.
 
The national electricity grid was shut down for safety reasons, with only a skeleton service in operation, leading to a black-out across the island. Many houses were without water. Troops patrolled the streets to maintain order.
 
Prime Minister P J Patterson declared a state of emergency.
 
The country requested international help to deal with the devastation. The UK government and aid agencies shipped out aid and volunteers. Humanitarian advisers flew to Jamaica to be briefed by local and UN officials, and reported back on the most appropriate response. Following the assessments, funds are being made available "according to need", and the advisers liaised with other donors to ensure that the funds were being used "in the most effective way" to help bring relief.
 
The tiny, low-lying Cayman Islands also took a battering from 155 mph (250km/h) winds. Roofs were ripped off and homes collapsed. Much of the main island, Grand Cayman, was under water, including the international airport's runway.
 
Although the storm was downgraded to a category four as it hit the Cayman Islands, destruction was extensive. Many of the best-constructed buildings on the islands were unable to withstand the onslaught.
 
45,000 residents hid in homes and shelters as the hurricane took hold, cutting off power lines, uprooting trees and scattering debris. A state of emergency was declared, and water supplies turned off for fear of contamination.
 
Grenada was blasted by the hurricane on Tuesday, 7 September. It killed at least 13 people, disrupted power, damaged 90 per cent of homes, and destroyed a prison. In the capital, St George's, the emergency operations centre, the main hospital and many schools were damaged.
 
Prime Minister, Keith Mitchell, whose official residence was destroyed, told the BBC, "We are... devastated ... It's beyond imagination." He added that the country's key export crop, nutmeg, was likely to have "taken a tremendous hit".
 
A national disaster was declared. A United Nations disaster team has visited the island.
 
Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago have all been affected by the hurricane.
 
The National Hurricane Centre reported that Hurricane Ivan, dubbed Ivan the Terrible, was the sixth-strongest storm ever to hit the Atlantic basin. It led to the deaths of around 70  people in the region.
 
Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon, has been closely monitoring the situation. "Natural disasters of this magnitude and the devastation they cause in our small member states have always been a major concern of the Commonwealth family", he said.

Mr McKinnon expressed his great sorrow over the loss of life and the devastation wrought and urged members of the Commonwealth family and international organisations to come to the aid of those badly hit.

...then Jeanne

Hurricane Jeanne battered The Bahamas with violent winds and torrential rains - the second storm to hit the islands in under a month. The storm hit Great Abaco island with sustained winds of 115mph (185km/h). Hundreds of people there and on Grand Bahama are in emergency shelters.
 
Jeanne devastated Haiti, where more than 1,500 were killed in the flooding and landslides caused by the storm.
 
The eye of the hurricane hit Marsh Harbour on Abaco island, which has a population of 20,000, on Saturday morning, 25 September.
 
Several areas were flooded on both Abaco and Grand Bahama island. Many houses had roofs ripped off and some homeless people are still living with relatives or neighbours. Half of Grand Bahama's 70,000 people are still without electricity.
 
The Secretary-General advised those countries affected that the Commonwealth Secretariat stood ready to provide assistance where called upon to do so. The Secretariat visited some of the countries in order to determine how best it can help. Governments had discussions with donors and agencies in the Caribbean region about programmes of assistance for the rehabilitation of their infrastructure. Several have already launched disaster appeal funds to raise money for those members of their communities most adversely affected.
 
The Secretary-General appealed to members of the Commonwealth community for contributions to their respective Disaster Relief Funds to help the poorest sections of the community rebuild or repair their homes, and to purchase essential furnishings and replacement clothing.
 
The Secretariat invited member governments, individuals and enterprises to respond to these appeals, in addition to any assistance they may be able to provide to the affected governments.