Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony on Monday December 30, 2013 affirmed this was not a situation he could “cast full judgment on” as there are stark differences between the two. The Christmas Eve trough came with an incessant downpour of rain while Hurricane Tomas has interspersed showers with high winds.

“There is no doubt that people tell you that this is more serious than Tomas,” said the Saint Lucian Prime Minister. “Tomas was a combination of water and heavy winds. The fact that a bridge at Piaye was damaged or for that matter a bridge in Canaries was damaged, in the minds of the persons there, that was more serious than Tomas.”

Dr. Anthony called for citizens to examine the situation closely as some of the affected bridges were already compromised. Speaking about his constituents’ reaction, the Prime Minister said, “When I talk to residents in my constituency who suffered a lot of flooding, in some instances as high as six feet, they swear that it was more serious than Tomas but it may also be the case that there were very special factors in Vieux Fort that led to that situation”.

Dr. Anthony noted that the destruction across island was not as widespread as Tomas but was “isolated and in some instances to the communities near to the rivers”. He added that he was exceedingly grateful that the Barre d’Isle was not affected as this was one of his major concerns.

The trough system affected Saint Lucia, as well as Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines on Christmas Eve. Currently, works on damaged infrastructure and relief efforts are ongoing.