 Fellow Sinclusions, good morning. I am completely mystified by yesterday's freak weather occurrence, which caused flash flooding, landslides, damage to private and public infrastructure, and the loss of fixed and movable assets, the value of which I am certain may escalate to a couple million dollars. I have been advised by our Met Office that an upper-level trough has been affecting the island over the past few days since Friday passed. This weather phenomena on Sunday afternoon was triggered in combination with the upper-level trough by low-level moisture in the atmosphere and a suddenly wind flow. Those conditions escalated into two hours of torrential rains, concentrated over the northeastern quadrant of St. Lucia, resulting in flash flooding and destruction. Such an unusual weather pattern, though the forecasts indicated an expectation of scattered showers, thunderstorms, and flooding, could not have been more precisely predicted under the circumstances. In response, the Department of Infrastructure Ports and Transport activated its Emergency Response Plan immediately following the event, with the deployment of various zonal technical teams and cleanup crews to undertake reconnaissance, assessments, and cleanup to clear the roadways in the affected areas to allow for a return to normalcy along our road network, while a more comprehensive assessment will continue in the weeks ahead. Meanwhile, in consultation with the Prime Minister, while in transit in Miami on my way to Mexico City, where I was scheduled to participate in the 9th Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean today Monday, 7th November, I have decided to abort my attendance to the Congress to allow me to return to St. Lucia immediately to coordinate government's recovery response to the damage caused by the weather system. On my return to St. Lucia, and upon receipt of the damage assessment from the technical team, a more detailed report and recovery program will be issued and implemented by the Department of Infrastructure for implementation in the coming months. Thank you.