We're just waiting for final approval from ECTEL and other agencies. We are going to go back as Radio Saint Lucia,” announced Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ernest Hilaire.

Following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, questions were raised concerning the communication strategies of the government. Many quarters of the public made fervent calls for the reinstatement of Radio Saint Lucia, particularly in its analogue format.

Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ernest Hilaire, announced that prior to the passage of the weather system, the government had been making strides to re-register the radio station.

Hilaire adds that during natural disasters, the country needs one authoritative voice to disseminate information.

“Just one voice. Every station should carry the same information, the same stories. So no matter where you are in, which station you're tuned to, everybody has the same thing,” he explained.

The Minister notes that the absence of a public radio station has created a gap that private media houses exploit, noting that numerous radio stations held talk shows during the storm.

“I heard a talk show about hurricanes, and what do you do during hurricanes. The [media houses] glamorize it and you miss an important announcement because you're listening to somebody calling in and saying when it's raining, they had their bedsheets on them to keep warm.”

Hilaire notes that the sensationalisation of hurricanes has encouraged people to leave their houses during a national shutdown to film the damage caused by the adverse weather system. This is a major concern for the government, he said.

“People are venturing out because they want to see what damage is done and that's the consequence of because storms are becoming a dramatic event in and of themselves and it is driven by the media…and there are dangers in that.”

The hurricane left the island with minimal damage overall but dealt a blow to the towns of Soufriere and Laborie as well as the banana sector.