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St. Vincent & Grenadines

Hurricane Beryl’s Impact on St Vincent and the Grenadines: Rapid Needs Assessment - Final Report (July 2024)

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INTRODUCTION

On 1st July 2024, Hurricane Beryl struck St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) with Category 4 hurricane force winds. In response, the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, through the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO), requested a Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT) from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s (CDEMA’s) Regional Response Mechanism.

The remit of the RNAT was to prepare a Rapid Needs Assessment report, which aims to provide a preliminary assessment of damage. This preliminary assessment serves as a guide for a subsequent detailed needs assessment, uses the preliminary assessment, and provides the following information to each requested sector:

  1. A detailed description of sectoral damage;
  2. Analysis of underlying causes; Why the damage occurred;
  3. Assessment of potential preventative measures; How the damage could have been avoided;
  4. Identification of requirements for restoring the sector to an operational capacity; What needs are required in order to restore the sector to an operational level;
  5. Sector-specific recommendations. Recommendations for mitigating future vulnerability to natural hazards.

METHOD

An advanced team of seven (7) RNAT members arrived in St Vincent and the Grenadines on July 2, 2024, within 24 hours of the issuing of the ‘All Clear’ following Hurricane Beryl’s impact. The team conducted intensive fieldwork for three (3) days until they were joined by the remaining six (6) members on July 4, 2024, and carried out their assessments within two days.

The RNAT comprised specialists from several sectors, each of whom visited impacted sites across St Vincent, Union Island, Canouan and Mayreau to assess, gather and analyse data to determine the extent of the impact and needs. Following the completion of their specialist sections of the report, the team demobilised on July 7 2024, departing as transportation services became available.

The assessed sectors follow:

a) Infrastructure
b) Shelters
c) Water Sanitation and Health
d) Social Protection
e) Psycho-Social Support
f) Beach and Coastal Structures
g) Agriculture
h) Telecommunications

Following the presentation of the preliminary RNAT results to Cabinet on July 10th, 2024, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Honourable Ralph Gonsalves, requested for a further detailed assessment of the livelihood sectors of Fisheries and Tourism. Subsequent to this, these two sectors were also assessed across Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The Fisheries assessment was conducted and the report prepared by Ms Sanya Compton of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism and the Tourism Assessment, and report was done by Ms Amanda Charles and Mr Kennedy Pemberton from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

The Health section of the report was prepared by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and also included as an amendment subsequent to the first RNAT report.