Monique Devereux, former chief reporter at the Herald and now Christchurch correspondent for Radio New Zealand, is at the Cricket World Cup. She brings nzherald.co.nz regular news and views from the West Indies
KEY POINTS:
On a sunny April day, Grenada looks a far picture from what we saw on the news bulletins in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan tore the island to shreds.
Today there are plenty of reminders of what the wild weather did.
Many buildings have yet to regain a roof.
Along the long stretch of beach called Grand Anse there are still buildings and houses only partly standing and others that seem to have been abandoned as uninhabitable twisted wrecks.
Other Caribbean nationals stepped in to help rebuild Grenada after the storm. Cuba and Jamaica sent troops and manpower to implement new infrastructures and get the island back up and running.
Its clear they did a good job, especially on the roads which must be the best we've seen so far in the Caribbean.
Their cricket stadium, Queens Park, was one of the larger casualties of Hurricane Ivan and a lot of work has gone into its repair.
That repair work will stand its biggest test this fortnight with crucial games being played every other day.
The repair work of the tournament's local organising committee will also have its first airing here in Grenada.
The committee has relaxed the strict rules that many say have kept the locals away from games all over the Caribbean, and will allow musical instruments to accompany the fans inside the stadium.
Ticket prices are also set to drop, giving the average Grenadian more chance of affording a seat at the game.
In just the few hours I've been here, Grenada has struck me as a place of stoic peoples.
It seems appropriate that they are first to be given the opportunity to put the spice back into this Caribbean cricket and, hopefully, finally create a hurricane of atmosphere.
