Dominica authorizes support of $1 million for St Vincent and the Grenadines

Roseau, Dominica: Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit stated that the government authorized EC $1 million to support St Vincent and the Grenadines.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is facing destruction due to the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano since April 9, 2021.

Dominica has also pledged to accommodate 300 evacuees from St Vincent for five months. The Moroccon Hotel and ten other properties in Portsmouth have been set up to accommodate the displaced families. Besides this, the government of Dominica will bear the accommodation and internet expenses of the evacuees. St Vincent and the Grenadines is also experiencing a shortage of drinking water because the supplies have been contaminated by volcanic ashfall. As per the Prime Minister, Dominica has supplied water to St Vincent and continues to urge the public to support the sister island. After a gap of 55 hours, the La Soufriere volcano again erupted on Monday. Over 20,000 people have been displaced and are currently in shelters. St Vincent and the Grenadines government have fastened their COVID-19 vaccinations drives as only vaccinated evacuees would be accommodated in the sister islands. All the evacuees arriving from St Vincent would be quarantined in Dominica, and the government even placed a Psychosocial Support team on standby which would commence its operations after the isolation period finishes. Besides this, the government of Dominica have also set up several sub-committees to overlook the situation of St Vincent and the Grenadines evacuees. The sub-committees are headed by the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) and the National Emergency Planning Organisation (NEPO). NEMO SVG reported on Monday that the La Soufriere volcano continues to erupt. Its pattern of seismic activity over the last few days is typical of the growth and destruction of lava domes. Explosions with accompanying ashfall of similar or larger magnitude can occur with little or no warning.