Lara sees Grenada’s destruction

ST GEORGES: West Indies cricket star Brian Lara toured the destruction left by Hurricane Ivan in Grenada yesterday, shaking hands with survivors and government leaders in a daylong visit aimed at showing solidarity. Lara flew over the devastation by helicopter, landing in some areas to visit with residents, and then addressed cabinet. “The team is in total solidarity with the Caribbean people, with Jamaica, Grenada, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, all the islands that have been struck down by the hurricanes,” Lara said. “I hope  that you will be back on your feet as soon as possible.” He said the players “felt very sad about the whole situation and it brought a lot of solidarity within the team,” something that he said helped bring a surprise victory in the Champions Trophy in England. “I know for a fact that there was divine intervention and everything that took place here was for a purpose.

I passed through the island today and it’s unimaginable,” Lara said. Hurricane Ivan tore through Grenada on September 7, killing at least 39 people, damaging or destroying about 90 percent of homes and leaving about half the 100,000 people homeless. Most homes lost their roofs, and many houses —  including the prime minister’s  were flattened. Others have taken to sleeping underneath houses or by neighbours. Lara said he had seen a green pasture that looked fit for cricket. “Maybe we can get a pitch up where we can have a cricket match to bring back some sort of celebration,” he said. Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said he was moved by Lara’s visit. “The biggest battering you can have is the physiological one,” Mitchell said. “The biggest boost for the country is the presence of people like yourself showing solidarity and a sense of an emotional contact.” (AP)