Flooding in Bexon caused by trough system.
Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has welcomed the assistance of the World Bank, which recently announced it will be making more funds available to help St. Lucia with its post Christmas Eve trough recovery.
In a press release dated March 21, 2014, the World Bank indicated it will provide an additional US$36 million to Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, under its International Development Association (IDA) Crisis Response Window in this regard.
The prime minister noted that while normalcy has been restored in some parts, there is still a lot to be done.
“I am indeed pleased that the World Bank has agreed to give further assistance to Saint Lucia. While services and transport access have been largely reinstated, parallel efforts will need to be undertaken to mobilise resources required to stabilise and permanently rehabilitate, reconstruct and retrofit damaged infrastructure. I applaud the speed of response by the World Bank,” a statement from the press secretary quoted Anthony as saying.
The press secretary’s statement indicated that Rapid Damage and Loss Assessments conducted in Saint Lucia after the December 2013 Trough estimated total losses to be US$99 million or eight percent of GDP in Saint Lucia. Immediately after the Christmas Eve event, the World Bank made US$1.9 million in emergency funds available to support recovery efforts in both Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.