The Victoria Hospital is Saint Lucia's main public hospital and has a capacity of 160 beds. It is one of five hospitals in the island of 72,000. The hospital lost the second story roof over the paediatric ward (capacity 29 beds); the children had already been evacuated because authorities were aware of the vulnerability of the roof. The hospital is running on stand-by power.
These pictures clearly show just how vulnerable the roof over the pediatric wing of the Victoria Hospital was: a lack of hurricane straps, hollow blocks and no steel re-enforcement. (more pictures)
There were no reports of damage to health clinics or the hospital in southern part of the Saint Lucia.