When a volcanic eruption struck St. Vincent on April 9, all hope was gone. But Canadian communities made voluntary donations to provide relief. To this effect, St. Vincent and Grenadines Association of Calgary stepped in. Their president Roscian hope felt a chill of sadness at the events.
This was especially worsened by the fact that her sister was one of those affected. Her home country is St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Her association collected donations from good Samaritans around Calgary, Canada.
Assessing the situation on the ground made Hope realize that it was unsafe to enter st. Vincent. That is why she focused on collecting donations and sending them to needy families.
In her interview with CBC, she revealed that they were happy with the response. They worked around the clock to coordinate with other organizations. They also worked closely with the consulate Toronto. She said that there were many people willing to help and we’re happy with what was happening in Calgary.
This Caribbean Island has over 100,000 people. A bigger percentage of them live on the core Island of St. Vincent
By April 20, a total number of 6200 people had left the Island. Their rescue followed a step of accommodating them in 88 shelters of the government. Added to this were many more in thousands who occupied private homes and shelters. The united nations made an announcement on that day. They indicated that they needed $29.2 million. This amount was to work in helping St. Vincent and the Grenadines recover.
Calgary was not the only Canadian community making frantic relief efforts. Vincentian communities were also doing the same. They focused on mobilizing the supplies needed.
Another association also made efforts to collect donations. This is the Vincentian Association which is in Montreal.
Hope also announced that the Caribbean community had also come on board to support.
She explained that some good Samaritans had come from as far as Edmonton. Their mission was only to come with a truck or jeep filled with supplies. She added that brothers and sisters from Jamaica, Barbadian, and St. Lucian had come helped a lot.
She added that they had received help from all the Islands.
Prime Minister Anticipates need for Heavy Rebuilding Effort
According to Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister, experts were still estimating the destruction. He added that rebuilding would need millions of dollars in hundreds. This was to come on top of the great relief from humanitarians.
On top of the priority list was food, and water supplies. Added to the list was the aspect of removing ash from the volcanic eruption. These were to come while the other efforts from organizations continued flowing in.
The President of St. Vincent and Grenadines Association of Toronto made a statement. he said that his wish was that all the efforts thus seen were only a step in providing relief.
He told CBC News that they appreciated all the efforts and relief provided thus far. But he was quick to mention that it was only the first step.
He expressed concerns that there was a lot of help needed on the road to recovery. This was because the damage had come from the volcanic eruption and the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the evacuations following the April 9 explosion, more than 16,000 people moved. According to officials, 42 cm of ash had piled up in several households. This was in the home of the Volcano in the northern region of St. Vincent.
The United Nations has also come on board to offer relief. Its agencies have organized $2 million USD to cover key expenses. These include water, hygiene, and food. The same funds will work for cleaning up the ash.
Other nations have also provided tremendous support to St. Vincent during the crisis. They have come on board to provide pledge funding and send important supplies to the country.
Gonsalves has also provided insight into the plight of the country as they trek the road to recovery. He has warned that the northern one-third would need more time to get back on its feet. The recovery is going to take long and rebuilding will also need time. He lamented that this was an area inhabited by the less privileged citizens. The majority of them are poor peasants who survive in agriculture. Others in this part of the country rely on tourism, fishing, and animal husbandry.
Gonsalves stressed that such means of livelihood had now gone with the destruction. He added that plants needed to be planting. As a country, they had now gone back several decades.
