By Danica Coto and Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press — Wednesday 14 April 2021; and World Bank — Tuesday 13 April 2021
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Ongoing volcanic eruptions have displaced about 20% of the people of St. Vincent as a UN official warned on Wednesday of a growing humanitarian crisis. Between 16,000 and 20,000 people were evacuated under government orders before La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday 9th April, blanketing the lush green island and nearby Barbados with ash. About 6,000 of those evacuees are considered most vulnerable. About 4,000 are living in 87 government shelters, many lacking basic services including drinking water.
Didier Trebucq, United Nations resident coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, told reporters: “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 an estimated 20,000 people are “at risk of food insecurity, given the loss of assets in terms of livelihood like fisheries, or agriculture.” Priority number one is water, being transported from nearby Caribbean nations since water systems shut down across much of the island. “We are dealing with a crisis within the COVID crisis,” Trebucq said. “Many health facilities have been affected by the ashes.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday 13th April, the World Bank disbursed US$20 million to support Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ response to the crisis, drawn from a contingent credit line (Cat-DDO) approved in June 2020, designed to provide immediate liquidity following natural disaster or public health emergencies. “Our hearts are with the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during this crisis,” said World Bank Caribbean Country Director Tahseen Sayed. Explosive eruptions are continuing, and pyroclastic flows have multiplied as the volcano shifts shape with each new eruption. The UN will soon launch an emergency appeal for a six-month humanitarian response. The volcano’s 1902 eruption killed some 1,600 people.