Soufriere fishermen were greatly affected by massive storm surges brought about by the tail-end of Hurricane Beryl on July 1st, 2024.
Fishing vessels were carried by the waves over the retaining wall separating sea from land, and ravaged the Soufriere Cemetery. The damage is extensive and relief efforts are underway.
While visiting the Soufriere Town on Tuesday, PM Pierre met with the district’s parliamentary representative and discussed immediate monetary assistance to be given to the fishermen.
Since the Prime Minister’s visit, he has come under scrutiny from the United Workers’ Party, who allege that he is trying to “bribe” the residents of Soufriere with monetary assistance.
Firing back at the UWP, Pierre doubles down on his monetary relief strategies, noting that the fishermen need money to repair their vessels.
“When your boat is damaged, the only way you can fix it is with money. How can you fix a damaged boat if it's not with money? It wasn’t a secret. The government will try its best to assist them with money, so that they can rebuild their lives, so that they can rebuild their boats.” he said.
Pierre criticises the UWP’s remarks, stating that it is not inappropriate for a government to offer affected persons financial assistance after a Hurricane.
“If the Minister of Finance is saying that he will assist these people and you call it bribery, it shows you [the UWP’s] mentality, it shows you what they think about the people of Saint Lucia.”
Pierre adds that the Soufriere MP will prepare a list of names of affected residents and the government will take the necessary steps to ensure that the licensed fishermen receive assistance.
“We asked the parliamentary rep to get a list of all the bonafide fishermen. We'll compare that list to the list of licensed fishermen and the licensed boatmen. And we will see how we can help them with money to put their boats back in the waters. So if the UWP thinks it's bribery, that's their business.”
The total damage cost caused by the passage of Hurricane Beryl has not been finalised as yet. However, residents of Soufriere, Laborie, and some banana cultivators were hardest hit.