‘Good to be able to help’: Leader of disaster relief team shares his experience from hurricane-hit Union Island

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Hurricane Beryl damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes on Union Island (Photo by Orisha Joseph)
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Kenicia Francis

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“We got there shortly after the disaster, so everything was still in disarray. It’s almost like complete devastation; 98 percent of the homes and structures were destroyed,” said Lieutenant Commander Dorian Davis, the leader of the local team sent to aid storm-hit islands. 

He is a part of the contingent of almost two dozen police and Defence Force officers from Antigua and Barbuda that departed last week for Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

Davis is operating from Union Island, and conducting assessments across the Grenadines to assist local law enforcement with disaster relief. 

“Just imagine the disaster that was going on at the time when we got there. Garbage, trash, galvanised roofing material, building materials, trees, everything blocking the roadways and all over the place. It was a bit chaotic at first.

“However, over the past few days, we have made significant headway doing some clearings of the roads, able to receive resources, food supplies, water, and much-needed supplies for families so they can at least have the basic needs available to them,” he explained.

“It’s a very sad situation to witness, especially for us knowing what Barbuda went through [after Irma], seeing the devastation after Barbuda and coming here and seeing a similar situation, it’s heart-dampening.

“It’s similar and in some cases a bit worse because of the construction building style in Union Island. The majority of the homes are concrete. To see that roofs were blown away, windows and doors were completely shattered on almost all the homes, that was very devastating. I believe if the structures were of wooden texture, it would have been even a worse situation.”

He explained that at first people were traumatised and “shell shocked” because of the level of devastation they experienced.

However, the people who have remained on island have started “to mobilise to start to do some cleanups and start to clean up the roads, start to clean up the properties and areas like that”.

His team, part of the Caricom Disaster Relief Unit, comprises 11 officers on Union Island, and he also oversees teams on two smaller islands that were badly hit, Canouan and Mayreau. 

Davis told Observer his team has been sleeping in the airport terminal on Union Island and “it offered us the space available to store supplies that are coming in, and accommodation for us. It’s not the ideal situation, the roof is severely damaged. We did some repairs in terms of putting tarpaulins on the roof so that we’re able to spend the night”.

He said however that the facility does have accessible water in a cistern that they can use, and they sleep on cots, so they are able to make the situation work.

The team has also faced a lot of issues with their communication systems.

Despite facing devastation every day and listening to people crying as they recount their trauma, and the problems they face with their current accommodations, Davis said, “the team is high spirited. They are very committed to this cause. I have no queries from any one of them. They wake up in the morning and they’re always eager to do what we have to do, offload ships that come in and supplies, baggage, packages. Also go on to do the distribution within the communities for the persons who are much needing the supplies in terms of water, the food, tarpaulins and almost anything that we have available that we can afford to give to the population”.

Antiguan and Barbudan officials have been considering extending the deployment of the troops which Davis seems to agree with because he doesn’t believe the situation can be “resolved” in the two-week timeframe they were initially given.

“This assignment, this job, it’s unique. It’s unique in a sense where you’re dealing with a disaster. You’re dealing with persons who are affected.

“Our team, we are basically living under the same conditions that the population is living under, in terms of water, lights and all those other things. So we’re feeling what they’re feeling.

“We understand their cries, we understand their hardship. It’s a good feeling to be able to come and help those persons who have suffered and those persons who have gone through that trauma of Hurricane Beryl.”

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