PM Chastanet reported heavy damage to agricultural sector of St Lucia

The island of St Lucia suffered from the loss of EC$34 million on Friday after Hurricane Elsa passed from a close distance from the island. Prime Minister Allen Chastanet stated this.

While on a radio and television broadcast on Sunday night, PM Chastanet said that the agricultural sector had been severely struck by the first-named hurricane Elsa for the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane season. The country has an estimate of preliminary estimate of the damage that has been done to crops, including the crops like bananas and plantains. The amount of the damage has been estimated at more than EC$34 million.

“The greatest amount of damage was in agriculture,” said Prime Minister Chastanet, flanked by Infrastructure Minister Stephenson King and Agriculture Minister Ezechiel Joseph.

Prime Minister Chastanet, while addressing the nation, said that Hurricane Elsa had also damaged several infrastructures of the houses those also include the state-owned project in the capital, Castries. PM Chastanet noted that till now, no exact amount had been estimated of the damage still, the assessment has been going to find the accurate amount.

PM Chastanet said that he had already received information from the Cayman Islands-based Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) that the island would not receive a significant payout.

PM Chastanet said that more than likely just the deductible that they had, which has about US$130,000, so that means that the Ministry of Finance has been already looking for ways to reallocate enduring funds to be able to assist in getting the Ministry of Agriculture back on track and indeed, working with the Ministry of Infrastructure while dealing with some immediate need. Really the big one would be the Ministry of Education, and through the Ministry of Equity, some of the individual households, particularly to the more vulnerable in their society.

PM Chastanet said that their thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by hurricane Elsa. Thankfully, they were spared the full brunt of the system, and their meeting has to obtain a complete picture from all the government agencies of the damage around the island. He had received a first-hand view of some of the most affected areas, and all the ministers and parliamentary representatives had also been out in the community assessing the situation.