A bleak Christmas for Grenada

WHEN Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada on September 7, more than 90 percent of the houses suffered some sort of damage. The statistics show that 39 persons were killed, more than $2 billion (EC) in damage was recorded, and the island was set back 30 years. More than three months later, Grenadians have started picking up the pieces... but it has been a slow process. A lot has happened in the last three months. There has been an outpouring of aid from the international and regional community. The United States has given US$42 million in aid, with Trinidad and Tobago giving TT$50 million.

Food and medical supplies were a priority in the early days, now building materials are very important. Last Monday, the Grenada Red Cross began distributing galvanise sheets and tools to 1,000 families in the six parishes. But 80 percent of the sheets will go to houses in St George’s, St Andrew, and St David. After Ivan struck, more than 25,000 tarpaulins were distributed. Tracey Reines, Operations Manager at the Grenada Red Cross said teams went out to the parishes and returned with a list of people’s needs. It was decided that owners of insured houses will not receive galvanise sheets. Squatters felt the brunt of this ruling.

This was evident last Monday when Red Cross personnel went to Frequente to distribute sheets. Squatters complained of not getting sheets to cover their homes which were barely standing on hill sides. Following Ivan, there were few houses with roofs standing, while trees were bare. Last week, things looked much brighter for Grenadians. In St George’s, some order and respectability is returning to the picturesque capital. But York House, the seat of Parliament, is still in shambles. The roof collapsed with the hurricane and the rubble is still evident. Parliament has shifted temporarily to St George’s University.

Although the Parliament building needs a roof, public servants still operate in an adjoining building. Opposite to York House is the Roman Catholic Cathedral which was completely destroyed by Ivan. Adjacent to the cathedral is St Joseph’s Convent which is showing signs of recovery. Workmen were busy completing the new roof. The Anglican Cathedral and the Presbyterian Church in the capital are also in shambles with no word of when or if these buildings will be restored. Church services were relocated temporarily... but how long is temporary. At least one man was upbeat in the capital — Commissioner of Police Fitzroy Bedeau. The top cop said the place was calmer now than when the Newsday team arrived two days after the hurricane. The tense atmosphere was missing from Police Headquarters situated at Fort Rupert. There were signs that some normalcy had returned to the city. But a sorry sight was the National Stadium.

One must remember that this was the stadium chosen by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to host the second round package for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The hurricane totally destroyed a concrete stadium... imagine that. According to one man who witnessed the destruction, “The stadium just fall like a coconut tree with paper leaves.” Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell is on record as saying that his country still plans to host the package allocated to Grenada. But three months after the hurricane, nothing has been done to the stadium, although the island hosted a football match between Grenada and St Vincent last Sunday. The Taiwanese government, which knows very little about cricket, gave a commitment of US$40 million to rebuild the stadium. But with the treatment meted out to the Taiwanese by the Mitchell government in the last week, that commitment is all but lost. Mitchell said the Chinese government is interested in rebuilding the stadium, but he gave no details of how much money will be given. While the diplomatic battle heats up, time is running against Grenada as a cricketing host. It will not host any matches during the upcoming tour of the Caribbean by South Africa.

Electricity has been restored to 50 percent of the island. The country areas are without power. That is where the problem lies as Christmas approaches. Without proper refrigeration, residents cannot store essentials over any long period. So, where will the ham, turkey, chicken, pork, goat, duck and pastelles be stored this Christmas? Several angry Grenadians wasted no time in venting their feelings. One woman said this was the first time in 30 years that she could not buy these items for Christmas. Even the groceries and shops  in the capital reported slow sales on Christmas meats. Why?

Same reason — nowhere to stock them. But they were expecting a mad rush on Christmas Eve to lap up these commodities. One man said he will be drinking with friends without ice this Christmas. “It is back to the ole time days,” he declared. What will his friends say? “They don’t have to come... but I will be drinking it hot... and maybe straight.” Another woman who has had no electricity since September was neatly dressed. When asked how she ironed her clothes, she simply replied, “I put on the burners on my stove, placed the electrical iron over the burners, and when it got hot, I ironed by uniform. My mother reminded me that this was the case long ago... so it was back to the ole time days.”

Water is flowing through 95 percent of the island. But the Christmas spirit has gone. There are no decorations or Christmas trees in the capital. No one spared the thought or time to brighten up a devastated country. Christmas is a time when relatives return for the festive season. It is also a time when tourists flood the island to get away from a cold climate. This is missing this year. Instead, Grenadians living abroad have sent money and items for their loved ones. There is no room for them as Grenadian continue the rebuilding process. The hotel industry, which collapsed with the hurricane, is not up and running as yet. The Grenada Grand Beach Resort, owned by Trinidadian businessman Issa Nicholas, was one hotel operating hours after the hurricane had passed. Some renovations were done to improve conditions at Grand Beach Resort, but there is still a lot to do to bring it back. Even the conference centre which hosted the 2004 Caricom Heads of Government conference is still standing as a symbol of being battered and bruised.

The Flamboyant Hotel on Grand Anse Beach has reopened but on a small scale. But the Grenada Board of Tourism has painted a more positive outlook. The Board stated that 714 rooms are available at several hotels. The Board confirmed that cruise ships will be coming to Grenada as usual during the winter, although there are no signs of that happening for Christmas. International airlines are flying again, but there are no signs of them bringing any vast number of tourists. The official residence of the Governor General and the Prime Minister were completely destroyed and they remain as tourist attractions... just that! The Taiwanese Embassy lost its roof and had to run its operations at Grand Beach Resort for a short while before renting new premises. Workmen are busy effecting repairs to the embassy building, but with the attitude of the government, the Taiwanese may be considering selling that property now. The rebuilding has started, but it will take great commitment and sacrifice by the people to bring it back to where Grenada stood pre-Ivan.