PM Gonsalves extends gratitude to Guyana for providing essential aid

As Guyana continues to stand in solidarity with its Caribbean counterparts, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves has expressed gratitude to President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali for providing relief supplies to his country following Hurricane Beryl.

While the shipment was being offloaded on Thursday, PM Gonsalves highlighted that the island received food supplies, lumber, galvanised building materials, tools, gasoline generators, and other items.

“I am very happy to see our Guyanese brothers and sisters who came on the vessel bringing the shipment of relief aid such as food and building materials. Guyana has been very generous. Guyana also has a strong relation with Grenada. The Caribbean Community has come together quite well. We have had meetings already on the relief matters…We are moving with a lot of advocacies in the world for assistance for the Caribbean countries who are affected,” Prime Minister Gonsalves underscored.

PM Gonsalves pointed out that very soon Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines will receive another shipment of essential supplies from Guyana.

The category four hurricane recently made landfall in Carriacou, Grenada, and subsequently intensified into a category five storm.

Guyana’s swift response saw several shipments of essential items being dispatched to the hurricane-affected Caribbean countries.

To aid in immediate recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl, 50 ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will be going to Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines under the leadership of Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Dale De Mendonca on Sunday.

Based on an assessment, over 80 per cent of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ agriculture sector has been impacted. Also, the rural communities in Jamaica have suffered the most.

Meanwhile, the situation was described as ‘horrific’ in Grenada since the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique have had their permanent and cash crops, as well as livestock, destroyed.