The hurricane season, which officially closed November 30, has left US$2.2 billion ($136.4b) in damage to the Caribbean, and claimed 49 lives, the regional disaster agency is reporting. Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) said Tuesday that according to a summary of the season, there were 14 storms, six of which developed into intense hurricanes. "As the region emerges from the season, many are still in the throes of recovering from the devastating impacts," said the agency. The summary was issued prior to the emergence of Otto, a late-entry tropical storm that developed November 30 and into December 1 but quickly lost strength after hitting 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph). Otto never made land. CDERA says that very few Caricom states were left untouched during the season and that the Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago were still recovering from significant impact and dislocation. Disaster management experts will now focus, the agency said, on documenting the different countries' experiences and lessons learnt. "A system-wide series of reviews and enhancement of plans and procedures are being initiated by CDERA with support from partners," said the disaster agency. Assistance has come from the Canadian International Development Agency, the National Emergency Managers of Overseas Territories, the Agency for Reconstruction and Development and the National Emergency Relief Organisation in Grenada, as preparations for the 2005 hurricane season begin. A review of the Caribbean Disaster Relief Unit (CDRU) is also to be done in early January, with support from the United States government, and will involve CDERA and other response partners. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has also indicated its intent to conduct a series of reviews of its own operations in particular that of the Eastern Caribbean Donor Group (ECDG) and the Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT). The series of regional and national reviews will form the basis for a discussion paper to be presented at a regional consultation forum to be convened by March 2005. Reprinted from Jamaicaobserver.com