UPDATE FROM GRENADA Update on recovery process and humanitarian effort in Grenada Barbados, Sep 13, 2004 (CDERA) SITUATION UPDATE - 9:30 pm This report of the progress on the ground is based on a CDERA field assessment which was conducted September 12, 2004. While the situation is improving incrementally, a considerable effort is still required especially in the area of food distribution and internal and external public information. Information dissemination remains a challenge but efforts are underway to address it. An UNDAC team arrived tonight and successfully established a wireless Internet connection. Tests were successful. This now significantly boost the speed of data transfer between the EOC and CDERA. Deaths and Births Number of deaths between September 7 - 11, 2004: 37 of which 28 were attributable to Hurricane Ivan Number of births between September 7-11, 2004: 20 Number of injuries between September 7-11, 2004: 353 people seen at the Grenada General Hospital Security Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell declared a limited state of emergency Sunday September 12, 2004. The state of emergency was to be enforced for 24 hours in order to transport relief supplies, without hindrance, to the distribution centres. Under the state of emergency, no member of the public was permitted to be on the street in town areas. The few gas stations operating were ordered closed except for one which supply petrol to the emergency relief management operation. The police have been appealing to prisoners to turn themselves in. The "Grenada 17" (the people found guilty of overthrowing the Maurice Bishop Government in 1983) and other prisoners informed the police of their whereabouts. An active hunt is on for the other prisoners. The police are particularly keen to recapture 22 hardened criminals and put them back behind bars. Food distribution Food distribution began on September 8, 2004 - the first day after the hurricane - to shelters. Meat which was in cold storage was also widely distributed throughout the day and night. The first shipment of food from the warehouses went out to all seven parishes on the weekend (St Georges, St John, St Marks, St Patrick, St David, St Andrew and Carriacou and Petite Martinique). Food went out to St Georges, St Patrick and Carriacou and Petite Martinique on Saturday while St John, St Marks, and St Andrew were serviced on Sunday. The food distribution plan is to send the food to a central location and then have it distributed to districts within the parish however the movement to the people has been slow. The food as it is received at the airport is transported under armed guard to the Grenada SSU Headquarters, just a stone’s throw away from the airport and operated by the military. From there, under the direction of the EOC’s Logistical Manager, the food is transported to community distribution centres. Food received at the St Georges Harbour is transported directly to the community distribution centres under the direction of the EOCs Logistical Manager. Water distribution Limited water distribution started September 8, 2004 - the day after the hurricane to the shelters. Water bladders (each with a capacity of 10,000 gallons) were received within the first 72 hours after the September 7, 2004 hurricane when deployment started. OXFAM is collaborating with the public health officials and liaised with the water engineer from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to set up community water tanks. OXFAM has also been engaged in identifying critical shortage to inform the placement of water tanks. Piped water is expected to be restored to most of the island by Sunday September 19, 2004 as repair crews were in the field. The status as of September 11, 2004 follows: St Georges 30 per cent of the supply restored. Two water trucks in operation. Expected to increase to 90 per cent by Tuesday St Johns Seven per cent of supply restored. Shared water truck with St Marks in operation. Expected to increase to 32 per cent by Monday and 100 per cent by Wednesday St Marks Twenty five per cent of the supply restored. Shared water truck with St Johns in operation. Estimated improvements not available. St Andrew 50 per cent of the supply restored. Full capacity expected by Wednesday St Patrick 75 per cent of the supply restored. Full capacity expected by Sunday St Davids About 2 per cent of the supply restored, 50 per c