Following the April 9th eruption of the La Soufrière volcano, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has issued an urgent appeal to the public for relief for those directly impacted. The volcano continues to erupt explosively and has now begun to generate pyroclastic density currents. Explosions and accompanying ashfall, of similar or larger magnitude, are likely to continue to occur over the next few days at least.
Over 16,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes in the Red Zone to the safer Green Zone to shelters, personal homes and hotels. The need for assistance is tremendous as the country battles with excessive amounts of ashfall, water shortages, and electricity outages.
The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has released a list of the following items and KLC Shippers in Toronto has agreed to offer free storage and shipment of these relief supplies from Canada to St. Vincent:
- Folding cots
- Blankets
- Tents (10x10ft or 20x20ft)
- Sleeping mats
- Respirator mask with filters
- Goggles
- Reflective vests
- Caution tape
- Hygiene kits
- Non-perishable food items
- Clothing (NEW)
- 5-gallon buckets
The items can be sent to/dropped off at:
KLC Shippers
50 Tiffield Road, Unit 15
Scarborough, ON M1V 5B7
416-291-6733
People can also purchase items on Amazon.ca and send orders directly to the address above to the attention of NEMO SVG.
Additionally, financial contributions can be made via a GoFundMe campaign that has been started by CARI-ON SVG Disaster Preparedness, a non-profit organization based in Toronto.
GlobalMedic, a Canadian charity and disaster response agency, has also organized a local relief effort, sending food and family emergency kits with water purification units and hygiene items to help displaced families in St. Vincent. Click to donate – from the dropdown ‘Fund’ menu, you can select ‘4 – Saint Vincent – Volcanic Eruption.’
Currently, residents in the immediate area of the volcano have been evacuated to government shelters, as well as off the island on cruise ships in the region that rushed to assist in the effort.
