Hurricane Beryl Response Update

Compassion In The Face of Disaster

With hurricane season beginning early, are you ready to demonstrate compassion in action?

The word “unprecedented” has become one of the most striking descriptors for Hurricane Beryl. Various outlets have noted that higher-than-normal surface temperatures in the Caribbean Sea precipitated this storm – kicking off hurricane season far earlier than any time within the last century.

Beryl left a path of destruction in its wake that will be felt in the Caribbean for quite some time. The statistics are too real to deny or downplay: 6 dead and 6,981 affected in Grenada, another 3 dead in Jamaica with 1,800 evacuees, and 1,360 more evacuated in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a total of 4,800 affected.

Hurricane Beryl Update, ADRA Canada

But stats themselves do not quite explain the severity of what people have experienced. “Power outage” can read to North American city-dwellers as a slight inconvenience that lasts a few minutes. The extended outages experienced by 70% of Jamaicans, for example, could translate to food spoilage from loss of refrigeration. Some people also lost significant parts of their gardens and farms to the violent winds and flooding. And in certain parts of St. Vincent, entire islands and communities were flattened. There are presently about 51,000 people in need of help in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with another 160,000 people in similar need in Jamaica. Even with the death toll relatively low, the amount of suffering should not be underestimated.

ADRA IAD’s initial response plan included direct cash assistance to those affected, or else delivery of hot meals, food kits, hygiene kits, and home cleaning supplies where direct cash assistance wasn’t feasible/appropriate.

Areas of Impact

WASH ​

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
WASH initiatives prioritize community health by building essential sanitation facilities like latrines, toilets, and handwashing stations, aiming to prevent disease transmission and enhance well-being through hygiene education.

Food Assistance

Food Assistand and Agriculture
ADRA Canada ensures food security through sustainable agriculture, providing safe, nutritious food and educating communities for better health, particularly focusing on maternal, newborn, and child well-being.

Health​

ADRA Canada's health projects aim to improve healthcare access and outcomes in vulnerable communities through professional training, system enhancements, and disease prevention, fostering healthier communities.

Protection

Protection projects prioritize the safety and rights of vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children, aiming to safeguard them from harm, exploitation, and abuse, and promote a safe environment for all.

Shelter

In response to disasters and conflicts, ADRA Canada provides shelter solutions to displaced or homeless people. These projects focus on creating safe, dignified, and adequate living conditions for individuals and families.

Nutrition ​

Nutrition projects aim to reduce malnutrition and improve health outcomes by providing nutritional education and support. This ensures communities, especially children and mothers, have access to the nutrients needed for healthy development.

The Need Is Urgent​

ADRA Canada has committed its share to the broader ADRA network’s $110,000 (USD) collective response, though some of that total amount remains to be met at the time of writing. Hundreds of households have already been helped in Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent, and Mexico, with more work still to be undertaken and completed.

Unfortunately, Beryl is likely just the beginning. The 2024 hurricane season will probably be one of the most active in recent memory. And this concern for cyclones and hurricanes does not even account for the significant prevalence of earthquakes in parts of the Caribbean, such as the 3.7 magnitude quake felt in Jamaica on Tuesday, July 16.

Unrestricted support for the people in this region will be essential between now and the end of hurricane season at the close of November. ADRA Canada is calling for donations directed to “wherever needed most” to readily meet whatever disasters may still be in store.

In the struggle between survivors and the disasters at their doors, may compassion prevail.

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