Five months after Hurricane Ivan struck the small island of Grenada, residents are still reeling and despite the efforts of non-governmental organisations like the Salvation Army, still have a long way to go to rebuild the island's infrastructure.

That's according to divisional commander of the Salvation Army in Bermuda, Major Lindsay Rowe, who was a guest speaker at the Hamilton Rotary Club yesterday.

Major Rowe travelled to Grenada in October to deliver supplies and during a visual presentation yesterday said the island sustained major damage as a result of the hurricanes.

Grenada, with a population of 90,000 suffered heavy infrastructure damage to schools, health clinics and houses. Water, electricity and phone services were also damaged.

About 60,000 residents needed some assistance and 5,000 needed emergency shelter which the Salvation Army helped supply.

Major Rowe said with the emergency phase now over, the challenge is to rehabilitate the social and economic infrastructure.

The Salvation Army has a church in St. George's in Grenada and Major Rowe said shortly after the hurricane, Grenadians were sleeping on the pews and the floor of the church.

He added that many of these residents now have homes.

Bermudians' generosity once again shone during relief efforts to Grenada, and Major Rowe said truck loads of supplies were flown to the Grenada, while the Bermudian Government made a considerable cash donation.

"Moving from relief to recovery, the Salvation Army launched a project to rebuild 150 homes in St. Andrew's Parish in Grenada," he said.

Major Rowe was on hand during the launch of this project last year and said the Grenadian government encouraged residents to involve themselves in the rebuilding efforts, adding that they hardly needed encouragement.

"As I moved about the country, it was heart-warming to hear the sounds of hammers and the buzz of saws as residents received materials donated to them and set about re-building their homes ? just as their Minister of Housing had challenged them to do," he said.

He said the Salvation Army bought supplies from local building supplies companies and in this way helped to stimulate the local economy.

Major Rowe said conditions in Grenada were appalling as families tried to cope with rebuilding their lives.

"Families were using the debris from what used to be their houses in an effort to rebuild their properties," he said.

He added that he could see a marked improvement in conditions during his stay, but that much work still needed to be done.

"While the Grenadian people appreciate foreign aid, they are committed to independence and self sufficiency as is evident in their strong work ethic and indomitable spirit," he said.