ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA OCTOBER 22ND- Former government minister Alexandra Otway-Noel has rejected soca artiste Shortpree’s accusation that the New National Party withheld help from Carriacou and Petite Martinique after Hurricane Beryl, saying she facilitated four containers of emergency supplies donated by friends in Trinidad.

The exchange centers on competing accounts of the opposition party’s contribution following the July 1, 2024 hurricane, which devastated the sister islands.

Shortpree, an NDC supporter and brother of Minister for Carriacou and Petit Martinique Affairs Tevin Andrews, accused the NNP of failing to organize fundraising or donations as a party because, he alleged, it wanted Minister Andrews to fail and residents to turn against him.

“They actually wanted him to fail,” Shortpree said. “In other words, they wanted people to suffer.”

He contrasted what he described as the NNP’s lack of a fundraising campaign for the sister islands with the party’s later appeals for hurricane assistance for Jamaica. His comments did not establish evidence supporting the alleged political motive.

Otway-Noel challenged his broader claim by detailing relief efforts she said she personally coordinated.

“I am an NNP,” she said. “We got four containers, four 20-foot containers from our friends in Trinidad.”

According to Otway-Noel, the shipment included new tarpaulins, baby formula and tools. She also said she filled fishing boats with supplies collected from friends.

She alleged that obtaining permission to send the containers directly to Carriacou required discussions with government officials who initially wanted the goods routed through Grenada. Volunteers and fishermen helped unload, while National Disaster Management Agency personnel provided a forklift, she said.

“I am offended by what Shortpree is saying,” Otway-Noel said, “because, you know, so much was done by people who are NNP.”

Otway-Noel also credited the former Keith Mitchell administration with disaster insurance arrangements that subsequently benefited Grenada.

Following Beryl, Grenada received approximately US$44 million—EC$118.9 million—under its Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) policies covering tropical cyclones, excess rainfall and fisheries.

CCRIF said the coverage provided rapid funding following the hurricane’s destruction.