Work begins on helping countries affected by Beryl

The Caricom Private Sector Organization (CPSO) held an emergency meeting on July 1 to mobilise regional private resources and provide assistance to members Beryl has severely affected in the Windward Islands, including Carriacou in Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Beryl is now heading towards Jamaica and has been upgraded to a category 5.

The CPSO co-ordination meeting was held within the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) framework, in which the organisation participates on behalf of the regional private sector.

The meeting, chaired by CPSO executive committee member Dr Thackwray Driver of Trinidad and Tobago and CEO and technical director Dr Patrick Antoine, aimed to co-ordinate and align the private-sector response.

Driver stressed the importance of informed assistance, saying, “Ultimately, the assistance and support that we aim at providing must be informed by a needs list. Sometimes the well-meaning private sector and people wish to give a variety of items. We want to ensure the support matches the needs of the people and private sectors in the affected countries as much as possible.”

A statement on Monday said regional bottled-water manufacturers have pledged support and several manufacturers have been asked for relief items. Warehouse space is needed for storage, and regional marine vessels are being asked to provide marine transport and ground transport services.

Antoine reiterated the need for co-ordinated efforts, saying, “To ensure the support we provide matches the needs of the affected countries, we are in contact with CDEMA and the disaster co-ordinating agencies in the respective countries. We are pooling all of the resources at our disposal and confirming the logistics so that we will be ready to mobilise and lend support at short notice.”

Hurricane Beryl, which intensified to a category 4 hurricane on Monday, caused significant damage as it moved through the Windward Islands.

The release said CPSO is committed to contributing to the critical needs of those affected and supporting the rapid recovery of the private sector and the communities in affected member states.

The CPSO is a service organisation designed to mobilise and advance private-sector participation in Caricom, with a mandate to contribute to the full implementation of Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Anyone interested in assisting can contact the CPSO at kbaltimore@thecpso.org or 868-387-2233 to make contributions.