THE EUROPEAN UNION BRINGS RELIEF TO THE VICTIMS OF THE RECENTFLOODS IN ST.LUCIA

BRIDGETOWN, 14 December 2022 – In response to the recent wave of intense floods that
hit communities in the north of St.Lucia, the European Union is providing €60,000 in
humanitarian funding to assist the most affected.

The current EU humanitarian funding will support the St. Lucia Red Cross society in
delivering much needed assistance including the distribution of hygiene and cleaning kits,
mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets to reduce the risk of vector borne diseases.
“The European Union regrets the damage and disruption to livelihoods the flash flooding has
caused and hopes that its contribution to the Red Cross’ Disaster Fund will assist those St.
Lucians who were severely affected to get back on their feet as soon as possible,” said EU
Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska.

The intervention will last for four months and aims at providing immediate support to
approximately 1,000 people who have seen their houses severely damaged by the flooding.
The St. Lucia Red Cross will identify the 150 most vulnerable families – households with
children under five years, elders, pregnant women, single mothers and people with
disabilities or chronic diseases – and deliver to them cash assistance so that they can purchase
what they most urgently need.

The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency
Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC).

St. Lucia has experienced persistent rainfall over the last two months, which led to saturated
soils and floods in the northern communities of Corinth, Bois d´Orange and Grand Riviére.
Local authorities estimate that over 5,500 people have been affected.
Background

The European Union and its Member States are the world’s leading donor of humanitarian
aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around
the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the
integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European
Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in
Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the
most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

The European Union is signatory to a €3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the
Federation’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly
allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international
appeal.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund was established in 1985 and is supported by
contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs
immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For
small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished
by the donors. The delegation agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to
replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit within its humanitarian mandate) up to a
total of €3 million. For further information, please contact:

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FLOODS IN ST.LUCIA first appeared on SKNIS.