Nine years ago on September 7, 2004, Hurricane Ivan, a category 3 storm, struck the tiny island of Grenada, causing widespread devastation. The  cost of the disaster was estimated at more than US$900 million, more than twice the country’s GDP.

Hurricane Ivan damaged more than 80 percent of the country’s building structures, and only two of the 75 public schools remained undamaged. The Agriculture industry was almost completely destroyed.  The country’s production of Cocoa and Nutmeg was devastated.

Severe disruption of the health sector also occurred, including the almost complete destruction of Princess Alice, the island’s second largest hospital. An estimated 80 percent of the power distribution grid was lost, and nearly 70 percent of the tourism infrastructure was rendered uninhabitable. Hurricane Ivan also badly damaged the agricultural sector, with widespread damage to nutmeg crops, the island’s principal agricultural export.

Grenada has done well in rebuilding the infrastructure, housing, hospitals, schools and the National Stadium has been repaired or rebuilt.

One area that more could have been done is in the agriculture industry, the country’s cocoa and nutmeg are still struggling because not enough was done to replant new fields.