About 95 percent of houses in Mayreau are damaged – NEMO Director says

By Admin. Updated 3:38 p.m., Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The Director of the National Emergency Management Organisation – NEMO – Michelle Forbes said about 95 percent of houses in Mayreau are damaged due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

Ms. Forbes was speaking to local journalists at the Kingstown Cruise Ship Terminal where she and Commissioner of Police – Mr. Enville Williams mwt with the captain of the Hugh Mulzac Coast Guard Vessels that returned from Antigua today with regional security forces.

“Only about 11 houses in Mayreau are okay,” Ms. Forbes said.

She said: “We have had severed impacts in the Southern Grenadines. In Union Island, we are looking at a 98 percent damage to buildings, similar for Mayreau about 95 percent. Palm Island and Petite St. Vincent, similar, about 95 percent damage to the structures on those islands”.

“You had significant storm surge inundation especially on Palm Island and Union Island,” she added.

Ms. Forbes said the airports are okay and are aiding the facilitation of the disaster response.

“The airports are okay in the islands, so we have now started our rapid needs assessment. We have a Rapid Needs Assessment team that came in yesterday (July 2), through the Regional Response Mechanism coordinated by CEDEMA Coordinating Unit, and that team went down on the Coast Guard vessel today (July 3), to start the rapid needs assessment in Union and Island and Mayreau,” Ms. Forbes said.

She said: “Yesterday, we evacuated about 300 persons from Union Island on two vessels, and we expect more to come up today on the Gem Star that is actually on its way back up from Union Island, adding that the vessel took some supplies to Canouan, Mayreau, and Union Island for the residents and those responders who wanted to work on the ground.

Category 4 Beryl made landfall in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the centre of the storm landing in the Southern Grenadines.

There have been two confirmed deaths in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) so far from the passage of the storm.