Hurricane Irma wreaks havoc, devastates countries in the Caribbean: Hurricane Jose follows

PSI's General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli has expressed her condolences on the loss of life in the Caribbean following the passage of Hurricane Irma, and her sadness at the devastation wrought throughout the northern Caribbean by the Hurricane.

The General Secretary conveys to all PSI affiliates in the sub-region her deepest thoughts and solidarity:

“PSI will do whatever possible to help affiliates and people who are suffering from this disaster."

Jillian Bartlett, one of the sub-region’s titular members and representative on the WOC earlier expressed her sadness at the devastation throughout the Caribbean stating:

“We will do all that we can to support our sisters and brothers in the Caribbean. This wicked storm has disrupted thousands of lives in multiple countries. The PSI family in the Caribbean fully supports our affiliates and partners in the Caribbean at this time of great need. My heart goes out to all the victims and all those affected.”

Wayne Jones, titular member added:

“We have started taking the necessary steps and we urge all affiliates to work with the national disasters and crisis response teams in each country.”

The pictures in the news and on social media tell many tales of destruction and devastation. None of our islands in the northern Caribbean has been spared damage. PSI’s Caribbean sub-regional office located in Barbados is receiving information on affiliates in Antigua & Barbuda, Sint Maarten and Anguilla, and awaiting reports from Haïti and the Bahamas. Our affiliate members have family members in many of the affected countries and in many cases, they are anxiously awaiting news about the safety and circumstances of friends and family.

Susan Hodge, president of the Anguilla CSA, and also a programme officer in the Department of Disaster Management is on duty at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) in Anguilla. At the same time she is anxious about her family at home. This is the tale of many of PSI’s members who work in disaster management throughout the Caribbean. Relief efforts have started and the task is monumental. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the lead agency for disaster response, has activated the Regional Response Mechanism which coordinates disaster response among participating states, as well as with regional institutions and international agencies.

PSI is also anxious about Hurricane Jose and its impact on countries already reeling from Hurricane Irma. Antigua & Barbuda, Sint Maarten, St Kitts-Nevis were put on hurricane watch early on Friday September 8.

Voluntary evacuation on Barburda