UN appeals for 27.6 million dollar aid for devastated Grenada
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP): The United
Nations on Tuesday appealed for 27.6 million dollars in emergency aid for the
small Caribbean island of Grenada, where 90 percent of homes were destroyed by
Hurricane Ivan two weeks ago. About half the
island's 100,000 inhabitants were living without proper shelter, while 40
percent were dependent on food aid, Elizabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told journalists.
Byrs said it would take at least seven years for the country to recover
economically from the devastation because most of the spice plantations --
which provide the island's livelihood -- were destroyed.
"In the meantime, we fear that some of the population will suffer from lack of
food. Everything was swept away, Grenada is in a pretty desperate state," she
added. Caribbean leaders have tried to club
together to provide a regional disaster plan for Grenada and nearby Jamaica.
Thirty-eight people died when Hurricane Ivan tore through Grenada on September
9.
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