Guyana donates cash to flood-stricken Caribbean islands

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia

Guyana on Tuesday announced that it would be donating US$275,000 to three Eastern Caribbean islands that recently suffered deaths and damage due to bad weather.

The Foreign Ministry said the cash would be used to “assist in their recovery efforts in
the wake of the recent heavy rains which resulted in the loss of lives and critical damage to property and infrastructure.”

Calling the funds a “gesture of solidarity” with sister Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations, the Guyana government said  US$100,000 each would be given to St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and US$75,000 to Dominica.

Contribution of the funds to the governments of the three Caribbean  countries came one day after the Foreign Ministry announced that it would be teaming up with the Guyanese private sector in mobilizing assistance.

“The Government of Guyana will be launching a national fundraising appeal in collaboration with the Private Sector to assist in the recovery efforts of the countries of the Eastern Caribbean that were affected by the torrential rains and high winds which caused deaths and severe damage to property and infrastructure over the period December 23 to 25,” stated the Foreign Ministry.

Trinidad and Tobago has already provided relief supplies including bottled water, hygiene kits, food, cleaning equipment, water purification tablets to St. Lucia through the Regional Response Mechanism and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CEDMA) system.

Eighteen persons have died in the three Caribbean states where rivers have overflowed, bridges collapsed and power had gone out in several areas.