Hurricane Dean affected the country on the 16 and 17 August 2007. B y the morning o f Friday 17, the centre of Dean had crossed the Lesser Antilles between Saint Lucia and Martinique. The meteorological service of Martinique reported sustained winds of 76 mph, with gusts up to 104 mph. The minimum pressure in the eye was measured at 964MB. The latest imagery also showed a definite eye feature. The official forecast called for strengthening as Dean crossed the Caribbean Sea. Because of the direction of approach, the northern and eastern sections of Saint Lucia were more exposed to damage in the early stages of the passage of the hurricane, while the western and southern areas were affected once the system had moved to the east. Rainfall records collected from the gauge at the George Charles Airport reveal that on 16 August, a total of 92.1 mm of rain fell.
The districts which, according to the assessment, have been most severely affected are Castries sub-urban (rural), Anse La Raye, Vieux Fort, Dennery and Micoud which share a number of characteristics that increase the susceptibility of persons in those districts to the impact of natural hazards. Among them are their dependence on agriculture and fishing as the main source of income, the low lying coastal nature of their settlements, and the rivers which runnthrough, making these districts prone to flooding. From the data collected, it is possible to ascertain that the major damage caused by Dean was inflicted on the agricultural sector. In that regard it is not surprising that the most significant group of persons affected by the hurricane would be farmers. As a consequence of Hurricane Dean, one person, a farmer, rescuing his cow from a flooded river, lost his life.
Based on preliminary data it can be ascertained that some 22,738 persons or 47 per cent of the population already deemed vulnerable were severely affected by Hurricane Dean. Hurricane Dean has severely affected some 14 per cent of the total population of Saint Lucia and some 13 per cent of its households
The impact of Hurricane Dean was widespread throughout the island inflicting significant damage to the agricultural sector, in general, and the banana industry in particular. According to preliminary estimates provided by N E M O the destruction to the banana industry ranged from a low of 40 per cent in the Belle Vue area to a high of 85 per cent in the Roseau Valley area. The banana industry was heavily impacted by Hurricane Dean, with some farmers occupying some 3,099.4 acres affected. Total impact of the disaster on the industry is estimated at EC$18,207,080. The direct damage and indirect losses were estimated EC$6,955,790 and EC$11,251,310, respectively.
The damage to the fisheries subsector may be characterized as minor to moderate with
total estimated damage put at EC$369,080. Of this total damage, direct damage accounted for
EC$297,890 while direct loss was estimated at EC$71,190.
Although the social impact of Hurricane Dean on St.Lucia was relatively severe for the most madly affected communities, the economic fallout was much more moderate. The total impact of the hurricane on the economy amounts to EC $ 50.7 million (18.8 million).
Source: https://goo.gl/PW3swF