 St. George's Grenada, images of a country devastated after the passage of Hurricane Ivan. In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan was recorded as the most dangerous storm to ever pass through the Caribbean. Its trail of destruction in the Caribbean will leave an indelible mark on the landscape and the people of Grenada. Prime Minister of St. Lucia Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonzales, visited Grenada five days after the passage of Hurricane Ivan for a first-hand look at the damage wreaked on the small island. First I have to tell you, this is really unimaginable destruction. We live through Hurricane Island insublution. Our experience pales in comparison to what is here. I had never imagined that there would have been so much destruction. It's everywhere here in Grenada. It's going to be a long haul for the Grenadian people. It's going to require a lot of patience, a lot of understanding, a lot of goodwill and monumental resources. But one good thing is that the Grenadian people are resilient and there is a willingness to cope with the trauma that they have and to resolve it. I think it's a will of the people that impressed me the most. This is how Grenada first came into view from an aircraft. It appeared that a series of blasts had ripped through buildings and trees. Debris were strewn all over the landscape and the hills were stripped bare of vegetation. The Point Salines International Airport appeared to have defied the fury of Hurricane Ivan. This was but a temporary respite. Grenada after Hurricane Ivan unfolded as the drive began from the airport on the southeast coast of the island. Everywhere was destruction. Mangled galvanized sheet hanging from electric poles or piled high along the road. Downed electricity poles and trees uprooted. Evidence of the force was swept over the island. Nobody expects a hurricane of this magnitude to hit them ever. I was here for Janet in 1955 as 15 years old at the time and yesterday I drove into town to go to my old house to look out from there. For me to sort of equate what my memories of what I saw when I woke up in the morning after Janet to what I saw up there yesterday morning. And Janet looked like a Sunday school exercise compared to this the damage. One of the critical areas of concern after the storm is security. The regional security system RSS established operations in the barracks normally occupied by the Grenada Special Services Unit SSU. What we are confronting basically are law enforcement issues that include things as some form of looting, the escape of prisoners, the securing of the infrastructure of police stations that have been widely damaged, the damage of the prisoners. We have to interact with those people to deal with these types of issues. And of course there are other traffic and other issues, crowd control issues that we have to be dealing with now. So these are some of the things we're looking at to bring this place to normalcy or some form of order so that the other institutions, the other agencies can function, relief and other agencies can function. Personnel from Trinidad and Tobago's Defense Force will also enhance to reinforce the RSS and the Grenada Police Force. The task force is divided basically into two elements. One element is engineering, the other element is security. I'm expected to perhaps house a number of other people from Trinidad who are coming up here as special resources in fact to deal with essential services such as the electricity, the water, the hospitals, the telephone. And these people are here right now and they are doing evaluations. They are escorted all over the island at this point as we speak to lay with various heads of help or port as the case may be. And they will return to Trinidad and comprise compiled teams that will in fact come back to Grenada and help in that area. Meanwhile, I will remain here in charge of the Trinidad-Tobago Party and we will continue with the restoration work, the clear lines of communication to restore essential services, essential social services and to alleviate community distress. Senlusha's contingent of police officers in Grenada was headed by Corporal Irvin Mason. They were unloading relief supplies from a truck for storage in one of the more secure buildings on the compound. A task which under normal circumstances routine assumed tremendous significance in Grenada. So far we have been doing some static duties, we've been doing patrols and some relief supplies. Presently I would say that the men are motivated. They are motivated. All the men, we work as a team, we do what we have to do. In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, all communication in Grenada and from outside was cut. Most Grenadians were cut off from the rest of the world. The lack of communication had a ripple effect. Three days I'm trying to get a message and everything they tried. The British came in, went on to the battleship, they said they would have the system upon running as the morning afterwards. I spent three hours, I wasted three hours and there was nothing they could do because they claimed they had a problem with the band and their system and they could not get me messages. I had to be making calls and I said that was not the time for me making calls, the specific organizations and I want to talk to the Canadian people so I had to insist that I be taken back from the ship, back to the land. Whether they were pleased or not, I don't know. I felt extremely uncomfortable that it's known that I'm a somewhat battleship, eating and drinking and waiting to talk to people. I couldn't live with this so I was back on the main line and doing what I can. I went all the peer system years today. One day I went over by myself because security guys themselves, they were devastated, all of them around me. I feel sorry for them. They didn't know what happened to the children or wife or husband and you have to understand in times of this you can't think about yourself alone, you have to think of everybody. I went down to the shelter, there people had nothing but they were asking me about me, but I'm safe and while it felt good, it also tells you something about a lot of people in the country. They have a lot of heart. As some people, they're coming to the country with everyone and what happened to the lines of services in the country. Reality is with the absolute devastation that has occurred, not only first line and defense in services were obliterated, but second line and in some case third line and with the absolute breakdown in communication, the devastation of the communication system, even my emergency network which was established in a special room so I can contact police chief and military person, that went. There is no overstating the extent of the devastation to homes and infrastructure in Grenada following Hurricane Ivan. The cricket grounds and sports stadium were hammered by ferocious winds. The island's preparation for cricket World Cup 2000 would no doubt be severely affected. In the meantime, Grenada grapples to feed its people. Five days after Hurricane Ivan, the National Emergency Management Organization NIRU, was building was destroyed, was regrouping to continue its work. The Grenada Red Cross says the communication breakdown hampered immediate action. I have to admit that things are chaotic. Because of lack of communication or radio stations are out and they're just coming back, people are not hearing, hearing the instructions that are being given. The CBC Barbados have been very, very kind. The Barbadian people have been very supportive and the radio station has been giving us a lot of coverage, but that is reaching only a part of the population, a small part too. Therefore, people know they are not getting instruction. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Grenadians were in desperate need for food and for information. The uncertainty increased after food stores were looted. The result is that people became frantic. The looting of food is attributed to panic. The owner of this food store, after first being looted, decided there was not much point to securing what is left of the goods in the warehouse. His was one of the first places where people knew they could get food. We understood that it came in on a pole that had gone to the SSU camp. Probably it's for distribution, but so far, nothing has been done. I'm involved in a center in a church, Grand Roy 7th Adventist Church, and there are people there who need things. They can't come to town. Now I'm here hoping I could get something on their behalf and nothing has yet. Well, because this is the only place where food has been distributed at the moment. Freely, actually, I don't want to go loot, you know. So we come here hoping I will get something, but it's a chaotic situation. While some people are desperate, others have exploited the breakdown in law and order, in communication, and the disruption in police surveillance. While some are building and doing everything, the rules here were blocked. I couldn't move. People just came in and cut enough things inside the premises to get out. And then they cut poles, they do all kinds of cutting up big trees all over the place for people to move to hospitals inside. So there was some real good feeling from a lot of citizens in terms of what they want to do for their fellow men. But like everything else in every country, in every society, in every organization, you have those who will use any opportunity to benefit. And sometimes it occurs in institutions that are supposed to be the ones to protect the society. And when that happens, you know the damage is far more severe. These are desperate times, and desperate times make people desperate. And desperate people do things that, under normal circumstances, that they wouldn't even think about. And again, I'm not going to make a judgment call on anything, but my sort of way of thinking is looting is totally unacceptable, totally, totally unacceptable. And the people who have done the loot and they might justify it with all sorts of excuses to make themselves feel better, but I'm sorry, I can't accept the mentality that breaks into a motor car show room and drives off in a new car. What are they going to do with it? They just drive off on a racquet. For what? Why? The hard times haven't reached yet. And most people, the foodstuff are saved and they're getting things to eat. And the things that they are looting is not necessary, like applying season. So what do you want to do with it? You don't have a house, where you want to put it? So if there was looting, only the foodstuff. And the thing is, the owner of the place opening it for them one at a time. They just don't wait. Hundreds of tourists were forced to leave the island. At the boatyard near St George's, pleasure boat owners were anxious to get their vessels back to sea. This damage is horrendous. The insurance people have had a preliminary look at some of the boats, not all. There are quite a few boats that although they're over, there's not too much damage to the hull. A lot of damage to rigs. By Wednesday, we hope to get permission to start writing the boats. There are about 10 boats that are upright that are in excellent condition. And there are about five boats on there, no, more like 20 boats on their sides that actually have their rigs absolutely intact. Until we get a full insurance survey, it's very difficult for us to sort of guess the damage to the actual boats. But it looks terrible. Right now, I am not looking long term. I have not had time to think about that. What I'm trying to do now is to get as many of these boats up working back in the water in a way. And that is going to be between the insurance company and the owners of the boat. Then the boats are that damage we have to think about repairing them. Past that, I'm not even thinking about it. I haven't a clue what's going to have long term. If I would have seen what would happen long term, I might have done something different with my life. Grenada is still a beautiful island in spite of what you're seeing on the hillside. It's going to take a while for the hotel industry to fix the damage to their rooms and so in the meanwhile I'd say we could count this season out and hope that by next season we'll be in a better position to bring tourists back to the island. All over Grenada, houses are torn down, some to the very foundation. This was the Prime Minister's official residence. A few yards away, the bare walls of the newly renovated Governor-General's official residence. Our guide, a Grenadian police officer, kept pointing to what was a mango tree, the rum factory, a warehouse. For those who did not know Grenada, it is only left to the imagination of what was. Nobody is more painfully aware of a legacy lost than the Prime Minister. I could tell you that I've never felt so lonely my entire life. I don't believe there's any time in my life I felt like if what I was in the world by myself except for my wife and the people that were here because downstairs were taken over by by the neighborhood because people, when the houses start being destroyed, people were sick and sheltered and of course people quite rightly said the Prime Minister had to be one of the most secure person in the world so they were running to the Prime Minister's residence just as if he was jumping over the walls and but they had a relatively good-sized base one so they sought shelter there and so I'd say it was like a community center for for the last few days. In fact, I don't know this morning the last person left. The sea, the extent of the devastation, is to witness something which the words which he spoke couldn't quite capture. The denomination of the trees, they there are no leaves on them, they look as though they're in some desert or Haiti where you have had a an environmental scourge on the land. Then you see the buildings, 90 percent of them, not only are they damaged but the extent of the damage is very significant and of course in perhaps half the the numbers I've seen there they were destroyed. It will take a massive amount of resources but I'm of the view that we ought not to wring our hands in despair despite the fact that the some lutein made the headlines. What didn't make the headlines was the community spiritedness and good-nableness of the people of Grenada and that's the sense I walk away from Grenada, that of optimism that we must get out of the trauma. Her Majesty's prison in Grenada was not spared the wrath of Hurricane Ivan. Of the 365 prisoners holed up in there before the storm just over 60 remained behind bars. The prison's concrete perimeter wall was shattered. Over half of the prisoners escaped under cover of the storm. At a shelter at the Happy Hill secondary school 15 families are making the most of life in a disaster. They have no drinking water but are hopeful that when the Red Cross begins distribution and Nero reaches Happy Hill the gloom which has descended on residents will be lifted. We have 47 children and 35 adults with four babies and we're trying our best to make things happen. We only got water so far from the authorities. We're expecting some food stuff today but people in the surrounding bring provision and other things for us meat and other things. So we are here trying to make things make life as best as we can. Five days after the passage of this dangerous storm Grenadians were beginning to clean up using whatever resources available. Others were quick to restart at least the means of earning a daily bread. The destruction had far-reaching effects on the social and economic sectors of the society. The gross domestic product of Grenada at market prices is about 1.4 billion dollars easy. The damage which has been done here is perhaps 10 times 20 times the annual gross domestic product. It means therefore that if you have to rebuild you need 20 times what you produce annually in order to rebuild. The hotels you see are seriously damaged and therefore that's the productive capacity whilst we have to deal with other things we also have to deal simultaneously with the productive capacity because that is what is going to create the wealth. In the area of agriculture nutmegs are big business for Grenadians, for the farmers. Whilst it takes a banana tree eight nine months to come to fruition having been planted and nutmeg tree takes eight to nine years so that they have to clearly engage in some alternative short term agriculture and get income support. So that's a that's another challenge in every single area. Representatives of the World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank CDB visited Grenada immediately after the hurricane. The World Bank has already committed loan funds to Caribbean countries affected by Hurricane Ivan. The CDB has given a grant of US $100,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency Cidero for emergency relief. The CDB has also committed to providing loans of up to US $500,000 for each country affected by Hurricane Ivan. Managing economic recovery is going to be a monumental challenge for the Grenadian people and this is an occasion when the international community have got to respond in a different way. This is not a time to invite the Grenadian government to take more loans to increase their debt profile. This is the occasion when grant in aid has to be offered when more direct aid and more direct financial support has to be given. This is not the occasion to mortgage Ireland even further so that they have to rethink the entire strategy and some of them have to be far more cooperative far more anxious to help than they have been so far but at least the groundwork is being laid and one of the important things to do right now is to have a thorough assessment of the damage and the consequences for the economy of that damage. The Caribbean region is expected to rally around Grenada. Grenadians are leading the way with one desperate family reaching out to another. It is difficult to imagine anything like this in one's lifetime. I think all Grenadians are just holding hands at this time. There are some positive things in said thing. One person told me a story where a lady I didn't talk to them for over 30 years and she hobbled this morning. So if that is how we have to come together in Grenada and if that message is certainly learned and the country has come together more than we have done in the past and we will be able to gather and maybe in adversity as it's said sometimes there are tremendous opportunities and I want to extend it to the Caribbean region. What has happened to Grenada is a lesson for us to use or pull our resources far more together than we have been doing and that we should always see this thing as one Caribbean and if we can use this as a basis to bring the OECS forces together and in the Caribbean then the message would have been learned and we would have in fact benefited from this. I hope I like to look on the positive side of everything and I think I hope and pray that this is what will come out of this. It's not going to be easy to manage this process because of the shared scale of it. I mean it is astounding and while we are here to share with the Canadian people their pain and the agony but it is so very important that the rest of the region understand what has happened here because it could have happened to any other country and if the scale here is understood then perhaps other lessons can follow. Strengthening our regional institutions, strengthening our bonds, strengthening the process of working more closely with each other, strengthening integration itself. I'm very pleased to by the presence of personnel from the other islands we had a good opportunity to chat with our own RSS forces and they're doing very well. They're very dedicated, very very concerned, very anxious to help and I think they must bring a lot of comfort to the Canadian people in this time of need. Security, the provision of building materials to restore properties and the distribution of food at immediate priorities of the Grenada government. Despite the scale of the destruction and the daunting task ahead for restoration of the country there is optimism about the resilience of Grenadians and the Caribbean people. We are not afraid of the terror that comes to us by night. Neither are we overly worried about the pestilence that's strike at the daytime or what was set at noonday. We have to keep optimistic. We have to be organized. We work together as a people in Grenada, as a people in the region. We mobilize our friends in Europe, in the United States, in Canada, in Cuba, in Venezuela, in addition of course to our Caribbean and many of our friends overseas and I think we can put together something with the multilateral institutions, the World Bank, our own Caribbean Development Bank. I think that we have it in us to put a plan together and to carry out the plan effectively. Few of the services have been restored. The road ahead for all Grenadians involves the rebuilding of its institutions. The rest of the Caribbean is expected to support Grenada in this tremendous task. It requires the support of all our Caribbean people. To me that's the time for us to show this is one region and so far I must say that I'm particularly pleased and heartened by the tremendous response of Caribbean people to their length and breadth of the Caribbean. Not just the material resources that are coming to Grenada, but the concern as you listen to the radio station because we have no radio station on. Some people lucky to have radios, battery radios, can receive communication. You hear the voices of people and you feel it from that distance, that love and concern before the citizens of Grenada and therefore I want, on behalf of the people of this country, to thank every single God that exists for what