By Martin Cole-
Residents from the Caribbean Island are being shipped out to Trinidad in their thousands following a humanitarian crises sparked by volcano eruptions.
Volcanic eruptions on St Vincent have displaced about 20% of the Caribbean island’s population, as a UN official warned of a growing humanitarian crisis.
Between 16,000 to 20,000 people were evacuated under government orders before La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday, covering the lush green island with ash which continues to blanket communities in St Vincent, Barbados, and other nearby islands.
Didier Trebucq, the United Nations resident coordinator for Barbados and the eastern Caribbean said about 6,000 of those evacuated are most vulnerable.
“So we are facing a situation with a great deal of uncertainty, and also a humanitarian crisis that is growing and may continue for weeks and months,” he said.
Trebucq said that based on certain information and preliminary estimations, 20,000 people are “estimated at risk of food insecurity, given the loss of the assets in terms of livelihood like fisheries, or agriculture”.
About 4,000 people are temporarily living in 87 government shelters, and others have relocated to hotels or the homes of friends and family, officials said. Trebucq noted that many shelters were lacking basic services including drinking water.
Water
Tresbucq said the top priority was water, which is being transported from nearby Caribbean nations and other contributors since water systems shut down in many parts of the island.
He said the second most urgent issue was meeting the needs of the 4,000 people in shelters, including cots and basic supplies, sanitation, hygiene and emergency latrines.
“We are dealing with a crisis within the Covid crisis,” he said. “Many health facilities have been affected by the ashes.”
After a wave of volcanic explosions, residents of the Island who have not been able to evacuate the Island have been without power and water for days, and are struggling to make ends meet.
Sources from St Vincent told The Eye Of Media.Com that buses have been transporting inhabitants of the Island away from the disaster, as drivers struggle to see due to widespread ash on the streets.
In the northern part of the island, eruptions from the La Soufriere volcano have displaced roughly 20,000 people, with 4,000 of those living in shelters around the island, government officials said Wednesday.
The National Emergency Management Organisation, or NEMO, for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said on Facebook that “explosions and accompanying ashfall, of similar or larger magnitude, are likely to continue to occur over the next few days.”
Volcanic ash has covered the roofs of homes after the eruption of La Soufriere volcano in Wallilabou, on the western side of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, on April 12, 2021.
The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season is less than two months away and projected to be active above average with 17 named storms and eight forecasted hurricanes, four of which are predicted to become major hurricanes.
“The hurricane season is upcoming and bear in the mind the first forecast from Colorado State University is indicating an above-average season,” said Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director of CDEMA, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, during a press conference. “This is going to bring another level of complexity to our colleagues in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In the northern part of the island, eruptions from the La Soufriere volcano have displaced roughly 20,000 people, with 4,000 of those living in shelters around the island, government officials said Wednesday.
The National Emergency Management Organisation, or NEMO, for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said on Facebook that “explosions and accompanying ashfall, of similar or larger magnitude, are likely to continue to occur over the next few days.”