After the destructive impact of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, the community of Soufriere is working tirelessly to recover and rebuild.
One area significantly affected was the Soufriere Beach Park.
The park suffered severe damage from powerful sea swells, leaving local vendors to grapple with extensive losses that could take a significant financial infusion to address.
For now, the beach park remains partially operational, with full functionality yet to be restored.
A few days after Beryl, Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) Senator Herod Stanislas emphasised the need for a climate-resilient approach to reconstructing the Soufriere Waterfront, the Beach Park included.
“This gives us a perfect opportunity now to restore and rebuild the Soufriere Waterfront in a very smart climate-resilient way that is going to be sustainable to the people of Soufriere, to the economy of the people of Soufriere and Saint Lucia generally,” Stanislas stated.
Ernest Augier, Chairman of the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF), confirmed that plans for upgrading the beach park are underway.
“The beach park is undergoing repairs as of now, and there is a plan for enhancing it. The drawings are with the planners, and we will be submitting a complete proposal soon,” Augier told St. Lucia Times.
“But repairs are ongoing and the beach park itself should be in a ready and an enhanced state pretty soon,” he disclosed.
In addition to the beach park, Augier mentioned that the jetties, waterfronts, and docks are also being repaired to withstand future hurricanes, ahead of the tourist season.
“All efforts are being made by both the Soufriere authorities and the government to ensure that when the tourism season does take effect, the docks will be ready,” he explained.
Though life has returned to some degree of normalcy for Soufriere constituents, they continue to recover from Hurricane Beryl, which has impacted them in various ways.
PHOTO: Damage done by Hurricane Beryl in Soufriere
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