The contribution will go towards the construction of a new bridge at Piaye, and the reconstruction of a road along the west coast in Anse La Raye.
The European Union continues to assist Saint Lucia following the December 2013 trough that caused severe infrastructural damage to parts of the island.
On April 26, EU Ambassador Mikael Barfod signed a $19 million (Euro 6.2 million) financing agreement with Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, that will go towards the construction of a new bridge at Piaye on Saint Lucia’s west coast; and the reconstruction of a road along the west coast corridor in Venus, Anse La Raye.
The work will be undertaken through indirect management by the World Bank and will be aligned to the government’s US $68 million Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project.
“This support demonstrates the EU’s commitment to the reconstruction of Saint Lucia,” Ambassador Mikael Barfod said. “It
also underscores the EU’s solidarity with the Caribbean, which we recognize as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world.”
The trough system which affected Saint Lucia in December produced extraordinary heavy rains, with more than 224 millimeters of rain recorded in a two to three hour period. The damage and loss assessment conducted by the Word Bank afterwards estimated the destruction as a result of the floods at $266 million (US$99.3 million), equivalent to 9.9 percent of the country’s GDP.
The current funding is in addition to $1.4 million (Euro 400,000) of emergency humanitarian aid provided by the EU to Saint Lucia immediately after the storm.
