Skip to content

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines receive $40 million, nearly a year after storms slam the nation

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes
Island nation using money to prepare for next storm

The end of 2013 saw a series of brutal storms slam the Caribbean, costing the island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines millions in damages.

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
6/2/2014 (1 decade ago)

Published in Americas

Keywords: International, Americas, Caribbean

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - On Christmas Eve, 2013, the nation on the Caribbean archipelago suffered 12 inches of rain in three hours, a downpour that caused rivers to burst, destroyed infrastructure, claimed a dozen lives, and cost the nation 17% of its' annual gross domestic product.

Pray for the victims of storms and disasters.

The rebuilding nation has seen growing fears of massive flooding and landslides, especially since the annual hurricane season is starting in less than two weeks. For residents of the South Leeward island town of Vermont, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm in December, projects are underway to avoid similar disasters.

The town received more than $40.5 million dollars from the climate and disaster risk reduction project, which Is backed by the World Bank's International Development Association and by the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience of the Climate Investment Funds.

The project, which is dubbed the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, focuses on reducing damage from the storms hitting the islands; these storms have been regularly increasing in severity and frequency.

The project aims to boost investment in disaster prevention and adaptation to climate impacts, establish a regional system to evaluate risks, improve response to natural disasters, and to help the nation to build a technical and institutional capacity to deal with climate related issues.

For those who suffered in last year's disaster, they say, the help couldn't come soon enough.

"I just lived through the worst disaster I have ever seen. I do not sleep here anymore. I have nightmares and I am afraid of flash flooding," said Corinthian Haddaway, a 46-year-old tailor from lower Vermont. Haddaway lost all his belongings to the flooding on Christmas Eve.

Haddaway's house sits precariously on the Vermont River bank, and he hopes that the efforts to stabilize the nearby slopes and protect the river embankment will prevent such losses in future storms.

"I know with Mother Nature and the hurricane season on the way, you cannot stop rain or inclement weather, but if we can help reduce the impact of weather, like what we saw on Christmas eve, this will help all of us who call this place home," he said.

A dose of medicine is a great way to help any area, especially those hard hit by disasters. Sometimes a single dose can save a life, or help victims spend their money on more pressing issues like drinking water or food. Help save a life today.

---


'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'


Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Advent / Christmas 2024

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.