CASTRIES – St Lucians have been picking up the pieces from a trail of destruction left behind after 14 hours of battering by Tropical Storm Matthew.
Although there have been no reports lives being lost, there has been significant damage to infrastructure as well as landslides, while several roads have been damaged by floods and blocked by debris and fallen trees which also brought down high powered lines.
As a result of the road network being littered in some areas with high tension wires, schools were ordered closed while the commercial sector was given the option of opening after mid-day, but the banking community remains closed until Friday.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet speaking from Miami where he was awaiting a flight to return home said as a result of fallen trees and flying debris 70 per cent of St Lucians were without electricity and a higher per cent without piped water.
In a later update he said that both airports, which were closed on Wednesday, have now been reopened.
Tropical Storm Matthew dumped over ten inches of rain when it passed directly over St Lucia on Wednesday afternoon accompanied by strong gusts sometimes exceeding 60 miles per hour.
Met officials said the system was accompanied by high seas with waves of up to 20 feet.
A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister Thursday said Government was in the process of conducting an initial damage assessment following the passage of the storm. (CMC)