Two days after Hurricane Beryl caused devastation on Canouan, a small Caribbean island that’s part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Hansel Henry was finally able to message his mother and loved ones in New York.
“I was able to get a hotspot from a friend and then I was told if you put your phone on 2G you would be able to get direct calls,” says Henry, who was in Canouan at the time of the hurricane. “After that, I put out ‘I’m safe.’ ”
His loved ones in New York also asked about other family members and were relieved to know that everyone was physically okay and accounted for.
Read More: How New Yorkers Can Aid Hurricane Beryl Victims in the Caribbean
For Henry, the hours during which Hurricane Beryl ravaged Canouan are forever etched in his memory. “Seeing the galvanized [steel sheeting] flying, seeing different debris, you look at your friends’ houses being ripped apart, roofs flying, water tanks all over the place. And the stories you hear from people. It’s really, really scary.”
Now as Henry and other people impacted by Hurricane Beryl begin the road to recovery, Caribbean communities across New York are uniting to help them get back on their feet.
“We are Vincentians,” said Verna Arthur, president of the Brooklyn based St. Vincent and the Grenadines Relief USA, Inc., an organization collaborating with the Consulate of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to collect donations in New York. “St. Vincent is our home. They’re asking for help, we got that call, and here we are to assist our country.”
One month has passed since Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Canouan July 1. What started as a Category 4 storm quickly became a Category 5 during its peak, with winds reaching 165 miles an hour. As the first major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Beryl also made history as the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. The catastrophic storm ripped through the Caribbean and left at least 10 people dead and hundreds of families homeless.
Rondy McIntosh, the United States consul general of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said with some islands being “95% damaged or destroyed” the relief drive is focused on providing items that are considered a priority. That includes small generators, tents, shovels and wheelbarrows as well as both adult and children’s diapers. These items will help those impacted to be as comfortable as possible, he said, having experienced several disasters himself in the past.
Read More: How To Contact Caribbean Consulates in New York City
“One being in 2021 when we experienced the 32 volcanic eruptions. And I was there on the ground for the entire thing,” he said. “I spent months on the road with a truck just delivering supplies to persons who were housed in private residences. So I know how it is when you’re going through a disaster.”
Jamaica’s Agriculture Minister Floyd Green blamed Beryl for destroying millions of dollars worth of crops and infrastructure. In Carriacou, part of Grenada’s tri-island nation, the country’s National Disaster Management Agency reported destruction to roughly 98% of the island’s buildings. And in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Office of the Prime Minister said 90% of houses on Union Island in the southern Grenadines had been severely damaged or destroyed.
As a member of the Grenada Hurricane Relief Committee in NY, Cecil Belfon is helping to organize assistance for Grenada, especially its smaller islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which Hurricane Beryl left completely devastated. He said he also understands the need to come together when disaster happens.
“It’s about humanity,” said Belfon. “This is my second go around. I was in this same position 20 years ago with Hurricane Ivan. And here I am 20 years later with this new hurricane.” The committee is working with the Consulate General of Grenada to make sure donations get to who really needs it. So far, Belfon says he is grateful for the relief they have been receiving.
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“Grenadians in the diaspora are extremely close to their family and to what’s happening in Grenada. And I assume this happens to everybody in the world. So when we hear of a crisis we jump at it,” said Belfon. “We put out the call and as always, Grenadians answer the call.”
Organizers of relief efforts for both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada say they’ll continue collecting donations until residents impacted by Hurricane Beryl are back to normal. While items like water are needed, Consul General McIntosh is asking people to refrain from dropping it off for collection as it can be costly to ship.
“Those we can get on St. Vincent or in the Caribbean,” he said. “We’re really asking persons to donate small generators, not the commercial type. We’re asking for tents. We’re asking for tarpaulin. We’re asking for cots. We’re asking for shovels, wheelbarrows. We’re asking for chainsaws, diapers, adult diapers, children’s Pampers, stuff like that, that we can give the people to be as comfortable as possible.”
Financial contributions are also being accepted. For Grenada, payments can be made through the National Portal of the Government of Grenada and for SVG, donations are being accepted via Zelle at svgrelief784@gmail.com.
