UK pledges £500,000 for Hurricane Beryl relief

The United Kingdom has announced a £500,000 aid package for Caribbean countries most severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl.

This announcement was made by the newly appointed Foreign Secretary, David Lammy.

The financial support is intended to provide immediate relief to those whose homes and livelihoods have been affected by the hurricane. In addition to monetary aid, the UK has dispatched 800 emergency shelter kits capable of supporting up to 4,000 people.

These kits, along with 1,620 buckets for water collection and storage, have already been sent to Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines, which suffered extensive damage earlier this week.

The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said: “Our thoughts remain with those who have lost loved ones, their homes or have been left without power. This funding will help support disaster recovery efforts, as part of a swift and coordinated response in the region. That such a storm has developed so early in the season shows that we are facing a climate emergency and must act now.”

The UK has also responded to a request from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) by providing support for the deployment of regional teams. These teams will assist national disaster offices with emergency operations, relief and logistics management, telecommunications, security issues, and sectoral assessments.