Hurricane Beryl Flash Appeal 2024
09 Jul 2024
Open
Revision - 9 August 2024
This page shows the revised requirements for the response to Hurricane Beryl in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. Note that the rest of this document remains as per date of original publication, on 3 July 2024. As more in-deep information has become available, the extent of the damages is significant, and posing substantial challenges to the logistics of the response efforts.
Considering this, the humanitarian partners - UN Agencies and NGOs - have compiled and submitted a comprehensive list of projects for implementation across both affected countries. This detailed list of proposed interventions underscores the collaborative and coordinated effort necessary to address the needs arising from the impacts of Hurricane Beryl.
In particular, the financial requirements and number of people targeted in the health sector have increased due to the need to procure essential medical equipment such as generators, defibrillators, and cold chain equipment, which are a critical component of the response. These items are indispensable for re-establishing basic health services and ensuring the continuity of care, especially in areas where infrastructure has been severely compromised. The cost of such equipment does not scale directly with the population size; instead, it reflects the baseline requirements for operational health facilities, and will in turn address the needs of the population beyond those currently affected by Hurricane Beryl. Furthermore, in the Grenadines, critical facilities experienced significant damage, necessitating extensive repairs and the re-establishment of essential health services. In Grenada, the focus includes substantial efforts to restore services on Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which are also crucial hubs for healthcare delivery.
These revised requirements reflect a thorough consideration of the current conditions of the communities and aim to ensure an effective and efficient response. Prompt and sustained support to meet the critical needs of the affected populations is required.
The total economic damages in Saint Vincent and Grenadines are estimated at $230.6 million, or 22 percent of the 2023 gross domestic product (GDP), and $218 million in Grenada - 16 percent of the GDP.
The most recent information and data can be found on Humanitarian Action. The detailed projects information for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines can be found here, and the detailed project information for Grenada can be found here. Financial tracking information can be found on the dedicated Financial Tracking Service page.
Original estimations as of 3 July
Hurricane Beryl hit Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada on 1 July as a Category 4 hurricane, increasing to a Category 5 thereafter. This makes it the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Hurricane Beryl is among the worst storms to hit both countries since records began in 1851, with only Hurricane Ivan (2004) appearing to rival Beryl with respect to wind speed and proximity of passage to the islands, according to analysis based on National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data.
Hurricane Beryl passed south of The Dominican Republic and Haiti as a Category 5 Catastrophic hurricane, before slightly slowing to Category 4 upon approach to Jamaica, which was impacted on 3 July. It is then forecasted to impact the Cayman Islands on 4 July, with potential impact over the Yucatán peninsula just north of the border with Belize as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane later in the week, according to Mexican authorities. Additionally, authorities in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, while not directly in Beryl’s path, have raised alert levels in southern areas likely to receive rains caused by Beryl.
Initial reports indicate that at least five people have been killed, including one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and four in Grenada. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 90 per cent of homes on Union Island were reportedly damaged or destroyed, while in Grenada, the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique were significantly damaged. Over 3,500 people were reported evacuated from their homes ahead of Beryl’s landfall, including 1,032 people (many of whom stayed in 68 evacuation shelters) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and 2,500 people in Grenada (many of whom stayed in 40 evacuation shelters), according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
Over 80,000 people are potentially affected by Hurricane Beryl across Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including more than 40,000 in Grenada and 40,000 people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, based on the number of people expected to be hit by wind speeds of 120 km/h or above, according to the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC Global). The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance is estimated to be nearly 60,000 people.
The response to Hurricane Beryl will be led by the Governments of the affected countries, with support from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and international partners. In preparation for Beryl’s landfall, CDEMA convened a Caribbean Development Partners Group (CDPG) meeting on 30 June 2024, involving over 166 partners from local, regional and international agencies. The CDPG was co-chaired by CDEMA’s Executive Director, Ms. Elizabeth Riley and the UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Simon Springett, with major stakeholders in attendance, including the Prime Minister of Grenada, The Honourable Dickon Mitchell, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, The Honourable Ralph Gonsalves, as well as National Disaster Coordinators and Ministers who gave updates on the activation of National Emergency Operation Centres, logistics, communications as well as relief and response activities. The CDEMA Coordination Unit activated its Regional Coordination Plan on 29 June.
In support of the Government-led and regional relief effort, humanitarian partners are rapidly ramping-up life-saving and life-sustaining assistance, including multi-purpose cash, food security and emergency livelihoods, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter and essential items and protection of the most vulnerable. As highlighted in the Response Strategy, the preferences expressed by affected people on what and how they wish to receive assistance will be factored into decisions on aid delivery. Wherever feasible and appropriate, cash and voucher assistance will be prioritized, contingent upon markets’ ability to respond to the demand.
An estimated $9 million is urgently required for the immediate humanitarian response in the two countries currently affected, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This will fund humanitarian action by international, national and local humanitarian actors in each of these countries from July to December 2024, in support of the Government-led response in each country. The funding required for the response to Hurricane Beryl will be revised as and when humanitarian partners are able to institute more detailed response planning, based on in-depth needs assessments, and may increase if additional countries are affected by the disaster. Initial estimates of people affected, in need and targeted, as well as financial requirements are captured in this overview and will be updated as the emergency evolves.
Relief organizations are urgently mobilizing resources to support the response, which will be coordinated under this Flash Appeal. On 3 July, the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, allocated $4 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to ramp-up the response to Hurricane Beryl, including $1.5 million for Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.
S01: Provide life-saving multisectoral assistance to people affected by Hurricane Beryl, in support of Government-led relief efforts.
S02: Support the rapid delivery and resumption of essential services and livelihoods in hurricane-affected areas.
S03: Ensure the protection of Hurricane-affected people, including from gender-based violence, and ensure communities are at the centre of the response.
Provide products and services to support psychosocial support (PSS), dignity, and safety.
Gender-sensitivity will be critical in needs analysis and response, especially as both countries have a significant proportion of female-headed households: nearly half of all households in Grenada and 39 per cent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Female-headed households have been particularly hard-hit by previous disasters in the region. Some of these countries also experience rates of violence against women that are higher than the global average, with 39 percent of women who have ever been in a relationship in Grenada experiencing some form of violence.
To save as many lives as possible and provide an accountable and dignified response to people affected by Hurricane Beryl, humanitarians will be guided by the following key consideration, in support of Government-led relief efforts:
The initial humanitarian response is expected to take place in two main phases, which may overlap in practice, depending on how the situation and relief efforts evolve:
EDUCATION
FOOD SECURITY & LIVELIHOODS
HEALTH
Provide life-saving multisectoral assistance to people affected by the hurricane.
Support basic services in areas affected by the hurricane.
NUTRITION
Ensure nutritional support for children under five and with children under two years of age as a priority, and infant and young child feeding.
PROTECTION
Ensure that vulnerable people affected by the emergency with additional vulnerabilities such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, are properly identified and receive equitable and safe access to humanitarian assistance and services.
Provide general protection services.
Provide services to GBV survivors
TEMPORARY SHELTER AND NON-FOOD ITEMS (NFIS)
Provide safe and secure emergency shelter and NFIs for people whose homes have been fully destroyed or partially damaged to address immediate shelter needs:
WASH
Improve access to safe water and sanitation and hygiene
Improve sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene
MULTI-PURPOSE CASH (MPC)
EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LOGISTICS
Implementing the most efficient and coordinated humanitarian response will require key actions to maintain access to common logistics services to responders on the ground. These actions include:
COORDINATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR CHANGE (SBC) AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECTED PEOPLE
By making a financial contribution towards the Flash Appeal
Financial contributions to reputable aid agencies are one of the most valuable and effective forms of help during humanitarian emergencies. This page indicates several ways to contribute towards the response to Hurricane Beryl. Public and private sector donors are invited to contribute cash directly through the Flash Appeal.
While humanitarian aid is needed urgently in the countries covered by this plan, OCHA urges donors to refrain from sending unsolicited in-kind donations that may not correspond to identified needs or meet international quality standards. In-kind donations are useful when they meet a pre-identified need on the ground for which supply through other means (procurement, prepositioned stock, logistics) is not available. In other circumstances they may not fit needs, can potentially be administratively burdensome, and may undermine local markets. If you wish to make an in-kind contribution of goods or services, please email OCHAPrivateSector@un.org.
By making a contribution to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is a fast and effective way to support rapid humanitarian response. The Secretary-General has called for total annual CERF contributions of one billion dollars – a goal that the UN General Assembly endorsed. CERF provides immediate funding for life-saving humanitarian action at the onset of emergencies and for crises that have not attracted sufficient funding. Contributions are welcome year-round, whether from governments or private sector donors. The CERF needs regular replenishment. Please see this link on how to become a CERF donor: www.unocha.org/cerf/donate
By partnering with local and global businesses and disaster response and recovery
The region impacted by Hurricane Beryl has a strong and vibrant private sector which will play an important role in this response. The OCHA-UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi) works with local businesses to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Through a partnership with the Network of Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM), CBi is supporting the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Saint. Vincent and the Grenadines Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Caribbean businesses that wish to support the Hurricane Beryl response are encouraged to work with and through these CBi Member Networks. Contact connectingbusiness@un.org for more information. In addition, OCHA’s Private Sector Unit can provide neutral advice and support to businesses and private foundations around the world that wish to support the response to Hurricane Bery. Contact OCHAPrivateSector@un.org to request assistance or for more information.
By supporting public outreach & Advocacy
Lend your voice and advocate to highlight the critical needs in countries affected by hurricane Beryl. The easiest way to do this is by resharing social media posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram or by including a call to action in your internal or external communications.
By reporting your contributions to OCHA's Financial Tracking Service (FTS)
The United Nations Secretary-General encourages donors to coordinate their efforts with the United Nations to ensure coherence with priority needs and minimize gaps and duplications with the other responders. The easiest way to do so is by reporting any contributions made to the United Nations.
Reporting contributions through FTS enhances transparency and accountability and gives us the opportunity to recognize generous contributions. It helps us to identify crucial funding gaps. Please report contributions to fts@un.org or by completing the online form at fts.unocha.org. When recording in-kind contributions on FTS, please pro- vide a brief description of the goods or services and the estimated value in US$ or the original currency if possible.