Officials say at least three people have died as Hurricane Beryl battered Carriacou and Petit Martinique, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Two deaths were reported in Carriacou and Petit Martinique, Grenada, the country’s Prime Minister Dicken Mitchell told a news conference on Tuesday.
At least one person was earlier reported dead after Hurricane Beryl struck St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced Monday evening.
Aftermath of Cyclone: Cariaco Island and Petit Martinique Grenada as the hurricane’s eye passed over it, Mitchell said. The prime minister said the situation in Grenada was dire as there was no electricity until Monday.
Homes, buildings and gas stations in Carriacou and Petite Martinique have been almost completely destroyed, and there is “the potential for widespread destruction,” Mitchell said.
Movement is severely restricted in Carriacou and Petite Martinique and roads are impassable due to the large amount of debris on the streets, the prime minister said.
Because gas stations were destroyed, heavy equipment operators couldn’t get fuel to move around the island and clear debris and roads, Mitchell explained.
The prime minister added that the country’s coast guard could not go to Carriacou and Petite Martinique because of a maritime advisory in Grenada.
A private plane will take Grenada’s police commissioner, members of Grenada’s National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and a technical assistance team to Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Mitchell said. Helicopters have also been requested by the Prime Minister from the region.
“As a nation we are coming to grips with the reality of the disaster,” Mitchell said.
