Humanitarian disaster feared in St. Vincent amid eruptions
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Ongoing volcanic eruptions have displaced about 20% of people in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent as a U.N. official on Wednesday warned of a growing humanitarian crisis.
Between 16,000 to 20,000 people were evacuated under government orders before La Soufriere volcano first erupted on Friday, covering the lush green island with ash that continues to blanket communities in St. Vincent, as well as Barbados and other nearby islands.
About 6,000 of those evacuees are considered most vulnerable, said Didier Trebucq, United Nations resident coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
“So, 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.
Mr. Trebucq said based on certain information and preliminary estimations, 20,000 people are “estimated at risk of food insecurity, given the loss of the assets in terms of livelihood like fisheries or agriculture.”
Some 4,000 people are temporarily living in 87 government shelters, while others have relocated to hotels or the homes of friends and family, officials said. Mr. Trebucq noted many shelters are lacking basic services including drinking water.
He said priority number one is water, which is being transported from nearby Caribbean nations and other contributors because water systems shut down in many parts of the island.
He said priority number two is meeting the needs of the 4,000 people in shelters, including cots and basic supplies, sanitation, hygiene and emergency latrines.
“We are dealing with a crisis within the COVID crisis,” Mr. Trebucq told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York in a video briefing. “Many health facilities have been affected by the ashes.”
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said Wednesday during a news conference broadcast by local station NBC radio that people need to strictly adhere to COVID19 measures to avoid outbreaks.
“We cannot have that at any time — and, most of all, at this time,” he said.
Officials also urged those remaining in communities closest to the volcano to evacuate as soon as possible, noting the explosions are ongoing and causing new pyroclastic flows.
“I don’t want them to die like that,” said Richard Robertson with the University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center. “It’s not a nice way to go.”