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The Caribbean Community, Caricom, has commissioned a statement in solidarity with the victims of Tropical Storm Harvey, which has since claimed 21 lives and left several Texas cities destroyed.
In a message to U.S. President Donald Trump, Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said the organization offers its condolences to the families as well as sympathy for the damage caused by the natural disaster.
“The widespread destruction wrought by this hurricane has brought suffering to many and will necessitate a significant and lengthy rebuilding process,” LaRocque said.
LaRocque went on to say the region has the “utmost confidence” that Texans and the United States as a whole have the strength to overcome the devastation and recover.
“The unprecedented nature of this climatic event highlights the unusual nature of weather patterns that continue to affect nations across the globe,” he added.
Harvey initially made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Friday and then lingered off the coast of southeast Texas for five days as a tropical storm.
Harvey battered Port Arthur on Tuesday, dumping more than 25 inches of rain in 24 hours, an all-time daily record for rainfall, according to the Weather Channel. More than 41 inches of rain have fallen on Port Arthur since Saturday.
Police, firefighters and National Guard troops continued using helicopters, boats and trucks to rescue stranded residents from flooded homes while other victims sent out calls for help through social media outlets.
Harvey is expected to produce another two to four inches of rain through Thursday over part of the upper Texas coast into southwestern Louisiana, the National Weather Service reported.
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