| 17 September 2004
On Tuesday 7 September, Hurricane Ivan struck the Caribbean island of Grenada. Solveig Olafsdottir, information delegate at the Red Cross, describes how people are coping in the aftermath of the disaster.
"Theophilus Francis and his family are staying in the small church of Seventh Adventists together with 40 other people. His house, like those of most of his neighbours in the capital, St. George, was totally destroyed.
"He explains: ‘When the hurricane hit, we were staying with a neighbour, but the roof blew off his house so we had to come here.’
"There are some 13 families crammed into the church hall. All windows are broken, so plywood has been used to cover the frames. There is no light inside, no working toilets, and definitely no privacy.
"Theophilus says: ‘We have very little to eat, and drinking water is a problem. It is hard to live in such crowded conditions, but the hardest thing is not to being able to work. But we have to cope.’
Meanwhile, the Grenada Red Cross is doing what it can to help the affected population. Despite having its offices completely destroyed in the hurricane, the Red Cross has been operating day and night since the disaster struck. After assessing the situation, they have been organising distribution of relief items sent by other Red Cross National Societies in the Caribbean. They are also being supported by a number of overseas delegates, including three logistics experts from the British Red Cross.
Despite the despair in the wake of this terrible disaster, people are facing up to the challenge that lies ahead. After days of being unable to fathom the magnitude of the destruction, the nation is starting to take things into their own hands. Teams have been deployed to clean up the debris, and the silence of shock is giving way to the sound of hammers as people have started to repair their homes. But, as most people’s lives and livelihood have been shattered, there is need for an urgent international response to assist Grenadians to build a new future."
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