Above: From left: Amb. Vince Henderson of Dominica and Amb. Donatus St Aimee of St Lucia (UN Photos)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Lucia and Dominica are urging the international community to pay more attention on small island states’ vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly hurricanes, so they can improve their response mechanisms and recovery efforts.

“Almost every year, gains made during the first half of the year are eroded in the last quarters by weather-related phenomenon,” said Donatus St Aimee, St Lucia’s permanent representative to the UN, who was speaking at the General Assembly in New York.

St Lucia is still recovering from Hurricane Tomas, which struck the island in October 2010.

Dominica’s Permanent UN Representative Vince Henderson echoed the sentiment, explaining that “each year’s recovery efforts could become next year’s destruction points.”