St. Lucia Hurricane Tomas Relief

Local disaster and emergency units as well as global organizations have mobilized assistance to help victims of Hurricane Tomas in St. Lucia. The UN, UNICEF, the French Navy, and British military have extended humanitarian assistance to the wind and flood ravaged island nation. According to The St. Lucia Red Cross Society ten tons of immediate relief needs such as food and water have been delivered by airlift into communities inaccessible by road due to landslides. Damage and needs assessments through coordinated disaster response teams NEMO (National Emergency Organization), DANA (Damage and Needs Assessment, Red Cross) and RNET (Rapid Needs Assessment Team of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) are in progress.

St. Lucia needs our help now. Donations can be remitted to the St. Lucia Red Cross Society through the following banks.

First Caribbean International Bank, Bridge St., Castries, St. Lucia, WI
A/C # 2645392
Swift Code: FCIBLCLC


Royal Bank of Canada
Acc #100 842 4.

Persons outside of St Lucia can remit funds through:

United States (USD)
Wachovia Bank, New York,NY
SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC

ABA: 026005092

Bank of America, New York, NY, 10048-1191

Swift Code: BOFAUS3N
Chips member ID: 015035
ABA Number 026009593

United Kingdom (GBP)

BARCLAYS BANK,

SWIFT: BARCGB22

Europe (EURO)
KBC BANK,
SWIFT: KREDBEBB
Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’lBank
Swift: FCIBLCLC

Thank you for your contribution.

St. Lucia Hurricane Relief

As we took to donning masks, costumes, and the sweet indulgences of candy and ghoulish revelry this past weekend, Hurricane Tomas wreaked a horrific display of destructive force on the windward Caribbean islands. Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia sustained heavy flooding and wind damage. Reported deaths from St. Lucia are now at 14, mainly in Soufriere, where the damage is reported to look like a war-zone. Prime Minister Stephenson King estimates damage from massive landslides, sinkholes, and widespread flooding at roughly US$37 million.

Some Facebook friends were able to stay in touch via iPhone and Blackberry internet service, while others, as myself, have been unable to reach family and friends in some parts of the island. Ti Kaye resort owner, Nick Pinnock, posted the earliest views of the damage, "this wasn't the most vicious hurricane but it caught the whole country unaware, it lasted a very long time and it dropped a lot of water."



Massive sinkhole on Choc Bridge swallows an SUV Saturday night.(NPinnock)



Choc Bridge damage and SUV Sunday morning. (NPinnock)



Cul de Sac valley flooded...impassable. (NPinnock)



'Super Rush' recovery mission (NPinnock)

House perched on precipice caused by landslide. (SCepal)

St. Lucia Needs Your Help Now

Donate to help for Tomas victims:

St. Lucia Red Cross,

First Caribbean International Bank,

Bridge St. Castries,

A/C # 2645392

swift code FCIBLCLC -

Swift codes for Intermediary Banks for funds coming in the following currencies:

USD Wachovia Bank N.Y, SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC, ABA: 026005092

GBP BARCLAYS BANK, SWIFT: BARCGB22

EURO KBC BAN, SWIFT: KREDBEBB

Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’l

Bank Swift: FCIBLCLC

More information on how help will be posted in subsequent updates.