Commonwealth Reviews Reconstruction Assistance to Grenada

Both hurricanes Ivan and Emily left a trail of devastation in the Caribbean.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox arrived in Grenada on Wednesday, 24 August 2005 to review reconstruction assistance to the island following the devastation caused by Hurricane Emily, the second major hurricane to hit the country in less than a year.

Last month, Hurricane Emily caused widespread damage to Grenada. At least one person was killed in the north of the island, crops were flattened and streets flooded. Many homes, still not fully repaired following Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, were further damaged.

Mr Cox met with the Grenadian Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, and other senior government ministers as well as the Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency for Reconstruction and Development (ARD), Richardson Andrews. They reviewed the ongoing programme of assistance provided to Grenada under the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) and agreed that it will continue given the difficult circumstances that the country faces in rebuilding its economy.

The Deputy Secretary-General said that he was encouraged by the progress Grenada is making to rebuild its economy after two devastating hurricanes in less than a year, and pledged the continuous support of the CFTC to assist with the progress.

The CFTC is providing an emergency package of technical support to the ARD along with its regular programme of technical assistance, and will seek to provide the services of a town and country planner, an aid co-ordinator, a road and civil engineer, a macroeconomist planner, a chief technical officer and a legal drafter.

Last year, Hurricane Ivan devastated the nutmeg industry which is central to Grenada's economy. The CFTC will continue to support the industry with the introduction of new dwarf varieties of nutmeg trees which are more resilient against extreme weather conditions. 

 

Key Links:

• Secretary-General calls for assistance to hurricane affected Caribbean States