News Releases

The UWI stands ready to provide assistance for Caribbean territories following Hurricane Irma

For Release Upon Receipt - September 12, 2017

St. Augustine


As The University of the West Indies (The UWI) community continues to follow the tragic stories of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and impending Hurricane Jose, it is saddened and stands ready to assist recovery efforts. Reports on the impact of the category 5 Hurricane Irma include loss of lives, of severe flooding, damage to homes and other infrastructure as well as major disruptions to electricity and countries’ water supplies. This disaster affects thousands of our Caribbean citizens including our students, faculty, staff and alumni and partners.

Commenting on the situation, Vice-Chancellor Beckles said, “On behalf of The UWI community I express our deep concern for the people of the Caribbean who have borne and continue to bear the brunt of Hurricane Irma as it continues on a path of devastation across the Northern Caribbean with Hurricane Jose following close behind.  We extend heartfelt condolences to the families and communities that have lost loved ones as a consequence of the storms.   We also wish to let our neighbours and friends in the United States know that they are in our thoughts and prayers as they prepare to meet Hurricane Irma.  We are reminded very frontally that despite being separate nations, we face common challenges as one hemispheric civilisation. This has come at a time when Caribbean nations are struggling to regain a forward development trajectory and can ill afford to have their infrastructure and investment opportunities so negatively impacted.  The images of the destruction wrought on the countries of the Caribbean speak to significant reconstruction and attendant costs.  However, despite their desolation, the voices of the people speak to courage, strength, resilience and a determination to move ahead with their lives.  We applaud that spirit and say to them that our entire community is committed to their recovery and reconstruction. We have already been in touch with the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) regarding relief efforts and will be requesting public support as we mobilise our engineers, doctors, and other experts to help. The leadership and Heads of our Open Campus sites across the region continue to keep us informed of the situation as it unfolds.  For the past 400 years, the Caribbean has been the most globalised region in the world - it is the world’s first global village.  Throughout the years people from every continent have made the Caribbean their home.  The stubborn legacies of a recent colonial past continue to have a deterrent impact on our small economies and the Caribbean has been the region most sluggish in its post-recession recovery response.”  

The University of the West Indies remains committed to its regional colleagues and development partners, in its readiness to work together to bring the countries of the Caribbean back on a firm, positive development trajectory.  

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, The UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

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