I am worried for my Caribbean people in the wake of Ivan the Terrible.
Yesterday I was talking with TC (the soca/calypso singer for those not in the loop) and she was telling me about the way Bajans are reacting to the damage.
She says she hopes a hurrican never hits Barbados, because she thinks they will eat one another. People are complaining about being without water for a couple hours, and how the Water Authority has to come and put it back on; Bajan students at Mona in Jamaica are coming back home because they have to eat ‘canned food’ and it’s too awful to contemplate, even for the few days between the hurricane’s slap and when UWI began to sort itself out.
Much of it reminded me why I dislike living in Barbados. I think for the most part they’re quite spoilt.
The damage in Grenada is terrible. It takes fifteen years for a nutmeg tree to grow sufficiently for it to be harvested. Their entire nutmeg industry has been wiped out, as well as their banana plantations.
Right now, they don’t have any way to support themselves, and it will take years for them to recover agriculturally.
Cayman, fortunately has a banking industry it can fall back on, but their damage has been extensive as well.
Poor Grenada has taken a proper whipping over this one.
If you can help, please give to the Caribbean Hurricane Relief Fund.
Please reach out and help our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean through this crisis. They need food, water, clothing, and building material. The numbers and website below are authorized contacts for aid. Thanks in advance.
JAMAICA 212-935-9000
GRENADA 718-834-4544
Give GENEROUSLY: www.grenadaemergency.com
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