Four catamarans are expected to leave Trinidad with relief supplies for St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada after the islands were ravaged by Hurricane Beryl.
They are scheduled to depart by tomorrow.
On Sunday, over 100 yachts fleeing the hurricane made their way to Trinidad to seek shelter. Grateful to T&T for allowing them shelter during Hurricane Beryl, yachtsmen from Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines have offered to take relief supplies back to their islands battered by the hurricane.
Steven Fairbrother, owner of a charter tour operator in St Vincent and the Grenadines, said, “So what we’re looking to try and do now is build up a stockpile of supplies, first aid equipment, generators, anything that we can get hold of that’s going to be useful back up in Canouan, and load the boats up with as much as possible for when we head back up north.
“Where we’re based, it looks like 92 per cent of buildings have been severely damaged by the hurricane.”
Fairbrother said Union Island and parts of Grenada were in a bad state. “The information we’re getting is that there are boats that have broken moorings and are drifting out to sea. We’ve got people without power, without communications, without first aid and food supplies, so we’re looking to get as much of what they need.”
One local boat owned by Peter Peake is also scheduled to leave at the end of this week for Grenada.
Also preparing to take supplies to the islands is Christopher Peake of Peake Mariner in Chaguaramas. Speaking to Guardian Media while his vessel was being prepared for the 16-hour journey to Grenada, he said they would take as much as they could to Grenada.
Peake said they were collecting supplies from various organisations.
Vice President of the Marine Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Jesse James, said, “The community is coming together in Chaguaramas via MSAT, the Marine Services Association, and we will try our best to work together again with the visitors who were given that courtesy over here, and they now want to return the help to the people in need and even to Tobago if Tobago needs any assistance.”
He said the association was collaborating with other groups to gather relief supplies.
