St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be receiving US$100,000 in Disaster Relief from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), to help persons affected by the explosive eruption of the La Soufriere Volcano
In a statement yesterday, USAID said this assistance follows the support it has already provided to the country’s National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) for evacuation efforts, as well as humanitarian needs through the Red Cross.
The release said USAID is working with the local Red Cross society, to provide immediate assistance to evacuees, including thousands of people in emergency evacuation shelters.
According to the statement, Disaster experts from USAID are on the ground here in SVG, working in close co-ordination with local and regional disaster response authorities and organisations, including NEMO, which is leading the evacuation operations.
It said the USAID-US Geological Survey’s Volcano Disaster Assistance Program will continue to support the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre to monitor the volcano. The Centre has indicated in its daily updates that the eruption may continue for an unknown period.
USAID is the latest to support humanitarian efforts in the country in recent days. Aid from Trinidad and Tobago arrived yesterday on the Galleons Passage. Trinidad and Tobago soldiers loaded the vessel with medical supplies and food. The Venezuelan government also sent 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the country on Monday.
