The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is deeply saddened by the damage and devastation experienced by Barbados, Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago following the passage of Hurricane Beryl. Our hearts go out to the people and communities affected, particularly where there has been loss of life.
The widespread damage across these islands underscores the extreme vulnerability of our Region and highlights the increasing threat Climate Change poses to our Borrowing Members Countries (BMCs) and other small island developing states (SIDS). CDB remains committed to advocating for access to concessionary resources to assist our countries in meeting the challenges posed by our changing environment.
The Bank is resolute in its commitment to supporting the affected territories. We are ready to deploy our full capacity to bolster recovery and rebuilding efforts, and we will work side-by-side with our partner governments to see our BMCs through this crisis. To this end, our Team is actively coordinating a comprehensive, multi-tiered response to meet immediate, medium, and long-term needs.
By way of immediate action, CDB is providing our customary support for the Regional Response Mechanism to be spearheaded by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). This includes mobilisation and coordination of disaster relief to get necessities, resources and assistance to the affected areas as quickly as possible. Where necessary, human resources will also be provided to increase capacity on the ground.
In addition, where possible, national response efforts will be supported, particularly with regard to emergency response.
Another near-term measure will be the provision of funds to address urgent needs at the national level. Consequently, we are now in active communication with the governments of the impacted countries to respond to immediate support requests following the requisite damage assessments.
We are also collaborating with development partners and the international donor community to combine resources and ensure optimal impact.
Our response is built on our Disaster Management Strategy and Operational Guidelines (DiMSOG), which aims to bolster sustainable development and poverty reduction in our member countries by mitigating the impact of natural disasters.
CDB understands that for SIDS, disaster recovery is often a long-term effort. However, we will work with our BMCs to overcome this crisis and restore normalcy as quickly as possible. We will also continue to lead the Region’s sustainable development efforts and build greater resilience for the future.