ALBA-TCP Continues to Provide Assistance to St. Vincent and the Grenadines

The nations that make up the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) continue to develop aid actions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines after the eruption of La Soufriere volcano, which left material damage such as houses and water supply plants.

Venezuela is one of the countries that sent a ship with almost 20 tons of humanitarian aid, in addition to 15 specialists from the Simón Bolívar Humanitarian Task Force to support in search actions, technical assistance and pre-hospital care.  In addition, the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Allan Chastanet, was present at the loading of medical supplies and thanked ALBA-TCP for its help in assisting the Caribbean country.  

Venezuelan specialists are also providing humanitarian aid in the reconstruction of agricultural areas of the nation affected by the volcano, together with the Minister of Agriculture of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saboto Caesarm, where the impact of the ashes on animals and crops was evaluated. 

Although the La Soufriere volcano is relatively calm, the Seismic Research Center of the University of the West Indies stated that the outbursts of the previous week could soon reappear in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as in the neighboring Caribbean islands.

On April 16, the last outburst of the volcano occurred after about 40 hours of relative tranquility in the cone, provoked an eruption column with an estimated height of 8,000 meters, as well as a cloud of ashes that is moving towards the west of the Caribbean nation.

Recently, the coordinator of the United Nations Organization for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Didier Trebucq, warned that the eruption of La Soufriere opens the possibility of a humanitarian crisis in this Caribbean territory and nearby islands.