UN LAUNCHES RESPONSE PLAN TO HURRICANE BERYL FOR TWO CARIBBEAN NATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- The United Nations (UN) and its partners launched a response plan calling for US$9 million to support 43,000 people affected by Hurricane Beryl in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Stéphane Dujarric, the chief spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said of the response plan unveiled on Tuesday, US$5 million will be used to assist 24,000 people in Grenada, and US$4 million to assist 19,000 people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“The assessments are continuing, amid access challenges due to power cuts and damage to infrastructure, and the response plan will be updated as we go along and as needed.

“Our humanitarian colleagues stress that immediate action is crucial to meet the urgent needs of those affected, particularly in light of what is expected to be a very intense hurricane season this year,” he said at the daily briefing on Wednesday.

Hurricane Beryl was the strongest hurricane in history to form in June in the Atlantic Ocean. Starting as a tropical depression, it rapidly intensified into a Category 4 storm and briefly reached Category 5 status, with winds up to 240 km/h (150 mph)

The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada and Union Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, have been particularly affected, with over 90 per cent of houses and infrastructure damaged.

In May, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasted a range of 17 to 25 total named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher) and of those, eight to 13 are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher) including four to seven major hurricanes (category 3, 4, 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher).

--BERNAMA