July 18, 2011 No. 23/11-BD CDB LOAN FOR ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINESNATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PROJECT The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will provide a loan equivalent to USD12.622 million to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines for a project to reduce the risks associated with landslide and flood hazards. Hurricane Tomas impacted St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a Category 1 hurricane in October last year and the government declared disaster areas in some parts of St. Vincent. The islands were again impacted by torrential rainfall in April of this year. CDB responded in the wake of both events by providing a grant and loans for emergency relief supplies, cleaning and clearing of debris, as well as restoring essential services. This latest financing will enable the government to rehabilitate and reconstruct critical infrastructure to better than pre-Tomas conditions, and upgrade and improve the affected emergency shelters to internationally accepted standards. The project also provides for technical assistance to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to undertake a hydraulic assessment study of the major watersheds in the central and north windward region of the island, developing standard operating procedures for disaster responses for the Ministry of Transport and Works, and for undertaking a coastal study as well as medium to long-term sea defence designs for capital works at Sandy Bay and Dark View.