SVG one month after La Soufrière eruption

The people of St.Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) are still grappling with the effects of the La Soufrière eruption on April 9.

The country continues to receive aid through monetary donations from other territories, regional charities and private citizens from the USA. The most recent donation came from the USA, which donated 3.8 million US dollars to provide emergency assistance to individuals since the natural disaster.

At the start of the environmental crisis, more than 6 000 people were in 85 public shelters and another 6 000 in private shelters. Some people have left private or public shelters to clean up their properties in the orange zones. Residents are currently dealing with the large deposits of ash found in and around their homes.

The Barbados Advocate spoke to locals and understands that 80 per cent of the island has running water. This will help facilitate the cleaning of schools as these institutions are expected to reopen soon.

Face-to-face learning resumes for some

Some students who are expected to sit Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) this year resumed classroom learning on May 17. This is part of the phased implementation programme from the island’s Ministry of Education. Other students have received devices to continue virtual learning.

Meanwhile, a team led by Dr. Adam Stinton spoke to Vincentians on state-owned radio on Wednesday and explained that seismic activity remains low at La Soufrière with just periods of steaming.

The UWI Seismic Research Centre has indicated the alert level is orange, noting that the volcano may resume explosions with less than 24 hours’ notice. There is still the danger of lahars or mudflows and caution is advised to the public.

Protecting the national bird

The Ministry of Agriculture has been working with the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) to protect their wildlife. In a video on social media, Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar shared his appreciation to the group, which supplied bottled water to the island. He announced that there are some species of St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona Guildingi) in Germany and his government will continue to work with ACTP to bring this rare bird back to the island. On Facebook, members of the Forestry Services at Jennings Valley are shown setting up a camera trap while replenishing feed for the St.Vincent parrot on May 12.

Likewise, the Vincentian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VSPCA) has worked daily to bring food and water to the abandoned animals in the red and orange zones. The group created feeding stations, but they are still seeing mass starvation, dehydration and packing of dogs that are attacking livestock.

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) released drone footage of its operations at the Arnos Vale Logistics Hub this week. The hub includes eight mobile storage units from CDEMA and World Food Programme (WFP) in addition to trucks, forklifts, prefab containers and generators by WFP. This organisation has assisted the government officials and agencies on the ground.