On December 24 and 25, 2013, at a time outside the normal hurricane season, a tropical trough system passed over Saint Lucia and produced extraordinarily heavy rains (greater than 224 mm in a matter of two to three hours), with the highest intensities recorded in the southern portion of the island. Owing to the island’s mountainous topography and the already saturated condition of the soil, the rainfall produced intense and rapid flash flooding. As a result, the island suffered severe damages to infrastructure, primarily related to transportation, water, and housing, with the worst damage in the south. Agriculture was also severely affected.
Based upon an initial assessment of impacts to each affected sector, the December 24–25 flood event resulted in total damage and loss of US$99.88 million (EC$267.76 million), equivalent to 8.3 percent of Saint Lucia’s gross domestic product. Transport infrastructure sustained the majority of damages (72 percent), followed by infrastructure for agriculture (13 percent), water and sanitation (6 percent), and housing (4 percent). Out of a total population of 180,870,1 six persons were confirmed dead, over 550 were displaced, and approximately 19,984 were directly impacted by the event.