Death Toll of Heavy Rains in East Caribbean Reaches 22
Kingstown, Dec 27 (Prensa Latina) The confirmed number of dead people due to the heavy rains that recently affected the East Caribbean islands of Dominica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, local media outlets published today.
Heavy rains in a 24-hour period on December 24 caused the death of several people and significant damage to infrastructure.
Local authorities warned that the number of fatal victims could increase, because several residents in those countries remain missing so far.
Experts continue doing rescue and sanitation works in the areas affected by the serious floods and landslides.
OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza expressed deep sorrow due to the loss of human lives and serious material damage.
"This is really bad news, even worse because it happened on Christmas day. The untimely nature of the heavy rains and serious floods exposes once again the impact of climate change in the Caribbean region, said Insulza when speaking about the situation.
The general secretary also said he would summon other agencies in the Inter-American system to achieve a hemispheric response.
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and president pro tempore of the Caribbean Community Kamla Persad-Bissessar said that Port of Spain was ready to help those islands and appointed a specialized team to collaborate with those neighboring territories affected by that environmental catastrophe.
|