THE European Union on Tuesday signed a EC$19 million (Euro 6.2 million) financing agreement with the Saint Lucia government that will go towards the construction of a new bridge critical to river crossing on the west coast, as well as reconstruction of a road along the west coast corridor.
The work will be undertaken through indirect management by the World Bank and will be aligned to the US$68 million, Disaster Vulnerability Project, which the government of Saint Lucia has been implementing.
EU Ambassador Mikael Barfod commented: “This support demonstrates the EU’s commitment to the reconstruction of Saint Lucia at a time with economic challenges for the country. It also further underscores the EU’s solidarity with the Caribbean, which we recognise as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world.”
The Christmas 2013 trough system which affected the country produced extraordinary heavy rains, with more than 224 mm. of rain recorded in a two to three hour period.
The damage and loss assessment conducted by the Word Bank afterwards estimated the destruction as a result of the floods at EC$266 million or 9.9 per cent of the country’s GDP.