At least three people have died after Hurricane Beryl hit Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials say.
There were two reported deaths in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Grenada, the country’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said at a news conference on Tuesday, citing Tevin Andrews, minister of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Earlier it was reported that at least one person had died after Hurricane Beryl hit St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced on Monday evening.
Hurricane’s aftermath: The island of Carriacou and Petite Martinique bore the brunt in Grenada as the eye of the hurricane passed through it, Mitchell said. The situation in Grenada is grim as there is still no power as of Monday, the prime minister said.
There is almost complete destruction of homes, buildings, and gas stations in Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and there is a “possibility of widespread destruction,” Mitchell said.
Movement in Carriacou and Petite Martinique is highly restricted and roads are not passable due to large quantities of debris on the streets, the prime minister said.
Due to the destruction of gas stations, heavy equipment operators are not able to receive fuel to move around the island and clear the debris and roads, Mitchell explained.
The country’s coast guard cannot go to Carriacou and Petite Martinique due to a marine advisory in Grenada, the prime minister added.
A private aircraft will take Grenada’s Commissioner of Police, members of Grenada’s National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), and a technical assistance team to Carriacou and Petite Martinique, Mitchell said. Helicopters from the region have also been requested by the prime minister.
“As a nation we are coming to grips, with the reality of the devastation,” Mitchell said.