Let’s help stricken Grenada

WE EXPECT that the instinctive generosity of Trinidadians towards small-island communities ravaged by hurricanes or other natural disasters will again be demonstrated in the case of Grenada and St Vincent now reeling from the devastation inflicted by Ivan on Tuesday. While the $10 million in aid promised by Prime Minister Manning will be useful in the effort to restore the two storm-hit islands to normalcy, it is vital that the emergency needs of Ivan’s victims in the form of foodstuff, clothing, building materials, drinking water, tents, blankets, lanterns, etc be immediately met. The TT government is responding promptly to the plight  of Tobagonians and people of these two Caricom sister states but, apart from this assistance, we believe that Trinis, out of their natural sympathy for the distress of Grenadians and Vincentians, and out of their grateful relief for being spared by Ivan the Terrible, would want to help these stricken communities as best they could.

We recall the magnificent effort which Trinbagonians made in helping Dominica cope with the ravages of Hurricane David in 1979. Our people not only provided tons of emergency relief supplies for the hapless folk of Dominica but we also raised considerable reconstruction financing through a public fund established specifically for that purpose. Little Dominica was totally destroyed by David which pounded the island with 150 mph winds and untold inches of rain for eight hours. The economic damage was staggering; gone were the island’s banana crop, livestock, bird and animal life, infrastructure and eco-systems. An orgy of looting followed, adding to the island’s woes. David also left 32 Dominicans dead, including an entire family of nine drowned in a fast flowing river. Now the widespread devastation of Ivan in Grenada may well be compared to what David did to Dominica. Twenty Grenadians lost their lives in Tuesday’s turbulence while an estimated 90 percent of houses on the island has been totally wrecked, including the home of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.

We are told that almost every major building in St George’s, the Spice Isle’s picturesque capital, has been structurally damaged. The 17th century Richmond Hill Prison has been blown away, with scores of hardened criminals now roaming the battered island. “It’s beyond any imagination. We are terribly devastated,” said Dr Mitchell, speaking yesterday from the HMS Richmond, the British Naval vessel on which he had sought shelter. Judging from the wholesale wreckage of the island, he observed, it was surprising that many more Grenadians did not perish from Ivan’s fury. St Vincent was luckier in that it suffered no casualties, although many homes were damaged. Charity, of course, begins at home and we are pleased with the spontaneous help coming from the Trinidad business community, particularly HiLo foodstores, for the victims of Ivan in Tobago.

In any case, Prime Minister Manning has promised the government’s “unlimited” support for the sister isle. “Whatever Tobago requires, we will provide from the resources of the state,” he declared. As far as the struggling states of Grenada and St Vincent are concerned, however, their need is far more desperate. Trinis can help by dropping their donations of emergency supplies at any of four points, the Civilian Conservation Corps, Beetham Estate; Shed Ten at the Port-of-Spain waterfront; the Regiment’s camp at Cumuto and the Works Ministry’s office at D’Abadie. Our understanding is that a vessel will be taking these supplies to Grenada tomorrow. When we regard the agony of Grenada and, to a lesser extent, St Vincent and Tobago, and the potential horrors that Ivan still holds for the region, we realise how fortunate we have been to escape the wrath of these maritime monsters. Out of our good fortune, both meteorologically and economically, let us generously help the hapless members of our Caricom family.