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CARPHA Provides Health Response Support to Hurricane Devastated Member States  

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Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. July 17, 2024.  The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) began its regional response to hurricane-impacted Caribbean Islands on July 1, 2024.  Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean as a Category 4 Hurricane on July 1, causing significant destruction and impacting on lives and livelihoods. Beryl affected Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tobago, Cayman Islands and Jamaica resulting in fatalities, injuries, floods, and extensive damage to infrastructure including healthcare facilities. In some islands like Carriacou and Petite Martinique of Grenada, and Union Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, more than 60% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, leaving many without shelter, food, water, electricity.

Recovery, post Beryl, necessitated a rapid, multi-disciplinary response of which public health is a vital component. The post disaster health consequences of heavy rains, floods, and large numbers of displaced persons in crowded shelters, increases the likelihood of infectious disease spread; food, water and vector borne diseases; mental health issues; and a strain on health systems.

In this regard, CARPHA, given its mandate for public health response to emergencies, is supporting the regional health response, as part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)-led Regional Response Mechanism, as well as coordinating with Member States and international organisations.

CARPHA’s comprehensive response includes rapid needs assessment, laboratory, surveillance and response, technical guidelines, prevention and control of infectious diseases, health and safety promotional materials, and shelter surveillance tools.  The Agency’s response also includes offering a Health Emergency Response Package to impacted islands – surveillance, laboratory, food safety, vector borne, water, sanitation and hygiene, and risk communications.

CARPHA deployed technical staff to support the assessments of shelters, health facilities and the public health situation in Grenada as part of the CDEMA-led Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT) during July 6-12 and is aiming to deploy next week to provide support to the Ministry of Health particularly in daily shelter surveillance, and other health emergency and response needs. Tools for digital real time shelter surveillance are being enhanced as well.

Dr. Lisa Indar, Ad Interim Executive Director at CARPHA together with Ms. Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director, CDEMA also conducted assessments in Carriacou and Petit Martinique, and provided guidance on response to The Honourable Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada; The Honourable Philip Telesford Minister of Health, and their teams; and the Emergency Operations Center.

“CARPHA’s multisectoral Rapid Response Team stands ready to provide immediate support in surveillance, food, water and environmental safety and vector-borne disease control to our Member States. Our regional referral laboratories are also ready provide rapid testing of clinical, food, water and environmental samples as needed,” stated Dr. Indar.

Funded through the Pandemic Fund grant, CARPHA is procuring a package of essential public health supplies to prevent/reduce diseases outbreaks for the impacted countries. This includes rapid tests to complement epidemiologic surveillance, supplies to promote water, sanitation, hygiene, food safety, and vector control, and personal protective supplies, that could be used at the collective level during health emergencies.

The Caribbean Meteorology and Hydrology Institute (CIMH) predicted an early start to the 2024 Hurricane season with above normal seasonal projections for the frequency and intensity of storms.[1]

As such, CARPHA cautions affected Member States, and the broader region, to concentrate on response and recovery efforts, and to prepare for future events.

CARPHA remains committed to working with CDEMA and other regional and international agencies to ensure a well-coordinated, effective health and disaster response to the hurricane-affected Member States. The Agency has developed technical guidance including (i) CARPHA’s Emergency Response Package for Hurricane Impacted Member States, Post-Hurricane Beryl, (ii) CARPHA Shelter Surveillance Guidelines (iii) Guidelines for portable toilets.   Additionally, a suite of food safety and other health measures promotion materials that are being printed for distribution.

A social media campaign with relevant messages on health, vector-borne, food and safety has been launched on CARPHA platforms – Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

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Widow’s Testimony Recounts Night Haiti President Was Killed

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MIAMI, Florida — Emotional testimony from Martine Moïse, the widow of assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, has given jurors in a U.S. federal courtroom a chilling account of the night gunmen stormed the presidential residence and killed the country’s leader.

Martine Moïse took the stand this week in Miami as part of the ongoing trial of several men accused of helping plan and finance the July 7, 2021 assassination, a crime that plunged Haiti into political crisis and remains only partially solved.

She told the court that armed men forced their way into the president’s private home in the hills above Port-au-Prince during the early morning hours, firing multiple shots at her husband while she lay beside him. She testified that she was also wounded in the attack and survived by pretending to be dead until the gunmen left the room.

According to prosecutors, the plot involved a group of foreign mercenaries, including former Colombian soldiers, along with Haitian and Haitian-American suspects. Investigators say some of the men believed the mission was to detain the president, but the operation turned into an assassination.

The Miami trial is focusing on the alleged role of South Florida businessmen and others accused of organizing or financing the plan, part of a wider international investigation that has stretched across several countries.

More than four years after the killing, the question of who ultimately ordered the assassination remains unanswered, with suspects still in custody in both Haiti and the United States as the case continues to unfold.

Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.

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Jamaica Joins Afreximbank Agreement, Strengthening Africa–Caribbean Partnership

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CARIBBEAN — Jamaica has become the 13th CARICOM member state to accede to the African Export-Import Bank Establishment Agreement, further strengthening economic ties between Africa and the Caribbean.

The development was confirmed during the 50th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, where an Afreximbank delegation led by George Elombi and Kanayo Awani met with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness to advance cooperation.

Prime Minister Holness thanked the bank for its support following Jamaica’s recent hurricane, noting that Afreximbank financing helped restore critical infrastructure including water, electricity, sewage systems and roads, while also assisting reconstruction efforts aimed at building stronger resilience to future disasters.

The meeting also focused on broader development opportunities tied to Jamaica’s membership in the agreement. Discussions included rebuilding and modernising infrastructure such as railways, hospitals and other public facilities, while strengthening regional transportation and trade networks to improve the movement of people and goods across the Caribbean.

Afreximbank has been expanding its presence in the Caribbean as part of its strategy to connect Africa with the region often referred to as “Global Africa.” The bank has already committed billions of dollars in financing and trade support to Caribbean economies in recent years, including funding for infrastructure, trade facilitation and private sector investment.

By joining the agreement, Jamaica gains expanded access to Afreximbank’s financial instruments, technical support and trade networks designed to promote commerce between Africa and CARICOM states.

Regional leaders say the growing partnership could unlock new opportunities in areas such as trade, logistics, tourism, manufacturing and cultural exchange, strengthening economic cooperation between the two regions with deep historical and diaspora ties.

Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.

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Liberty Caribbean Supports Regional Forum on AI, Cyber Resilience and Digital Inclusion  

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Port of Spain, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (February 24, 2026) — Liberty Caribbean, the operators of Flow, Liberty Business and BTC, recently served as Gold-Level Partner of the two-day Trinidad and Tobago Internet Governance Forum (TTIGF), themed “The Innovation Paradox – Balancing Progress with Responsibility and Resilience”.

The Digital Divide is of particular interest to Liberty Caribbean and is being addressed through its Charitable Foundation across the region. Low broadband penetration in the Caribbean contributes to diminished opportunities for individuals, communities, and local economies, but with the support of funding partners, this gap can be addressed through a comprehensive programme – JUMP – that focuses on providing access, devices, and digital skills.

“Liberty Caribbean was proud to serve as Gold-Level Partner of the TTIGF because the conversations taking place here shape key digital policies for multiple stakeholders,” said Simone Martin-Sulgan, Vice President and General Manager, Flow Trinidad.

“As technology accelerates at an unprecedented pace, we must ensure that innovation strengthens our societies rather than fragments them. The theme, ‘The Innovation Paradox – Balancing Progress with Responsibility and Resilience,’ speaks directly to the work we do every day: building networks that are not only fast and reliable, but secure, inclusive and future-ready.”

Across the Caribbean, the digital divide remains one of the most pressing barriers to equitable growth. Low broadband penetration limits access to education, entrepreneurship and essential services, and that is why we are deeply committed to closing this gap.

Through the Liberty Caribbean Charitable Foundation and initiatives like the JUMP Programme, the company is expanding access to technology, affordable connectivity and digital skills training so that individuals and communities are empowered to participate fully in the digital economy.

Martin-Sulgan further stated “at Liberty Caribbean, we believe progress and responsibility must move in lock step. By investing in resilient networks, inclusive programmes and trusted partnerships, we are helping to build a Caribbean that is innovative, secure and prepared for the opportunities ahead.”

Topics covered during the Forum, with over 140 participants, included “Securing Critical Infrastructure”, Integrating AI into Digital Transformation”, “The Digital Divide”, The Human Cost of Innovation – Mental Health and Well-being in the Digital Age’, and AI, Cyber Resilience and Regional Innovation”.

Focused on the underlying mandate of the Conference theme thought leaders, innovators, policymakers, technologists, researchers, and community stakeholders were invited to explore how countries can evolve boldly without compromising values or long-term stability.

Photo Caption: 

TTIGF – l-r Darren Campo, Regulatory & Compliance Officer; Yolande Agard-Simmons, Senior Manager Communications; and Kevon Swift, Senior Manager Government and Regulatory Affairs of Flow Trinidad in attendance at the Post Event Mixer at Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s Head Office in St Clair, Port of Spain

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