PM Chastanet conducts meet with cabinet in aftermath of Hurricane Elsa

St Lucia's Cabinet of Ministers met on Saturday, July 3, 2021, in an emergency session to continue the assessments of the destruction done by Hurricane Elsa, which hit the island on Friday 2nd July 2021, drawing with it rain and heavy winds.

Monday, 5th July 2021

Leader of opposition St Lucia Allen Chastanet

St Lucia: St Lucia's Cabinet of Ministers met on Saturday, July 3, 2021, in an emergency session to continue the assessments of the destruction done by Hurricane Elsa, which hit the island on Friday 2nd July 2021, drawing with it rain and heavy winds. Also, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet visited the hardest-hit communities immediately following the passage of the hurricane & toured affected communities over the island on Saturday. Notably, the Government has already moved quickly following the passage of Hurricane Elsa on Friday to clear debris and help those most in need. As per the press release, among the agencies giving the Cabinet of Ministers among updates at Saturday’s meeting was the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Equity & the Ministry of Infrastructure. NEMO showed an Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) in which one related death was reported in the Fond St Jacques area and severely damaged roofs, damaged wooden structures, and an assessment of the influence on utilities such as electricity water including telecommunications. In its initial assessment, the Agriculture Ministry summarised that farmers had been very hard hit and that 75 to 80 percent of St Lucia’s crops were critically impacted/damaged by Hurricane Elsa. PM Allen Chastanet offered condolences to the family of the gentleman from Fond St Jacques who lost his life because of Hurricane Elsa. “Our thoughts and prayers remain to be with all those affected by the hurricane,” noted PM Chastanet. “Thankfully, we were spared the full brunt of the system & our meeting is to get a full picture from all the government agencies of the damage over the island. I have gotten a 1st-hand view of some of the several affected areas & all the ministers & parliamentary representatives have also been out in the community evaluating the situation.” Additionally, The Cabinet of Ministers reviewed plans to continue to clean up constituencies and support agriculture and other affected sectors.