Help pours in for St Vincent from Trinidad and Tobago

Items both bought and donated  for relief aid to those affected by the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Photo by Jeff Mayers
Items both bought and donated for relief aid to those affected by the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Photo by Jeff Mayers

Online donations for relief efforts to St Vincent and the Grenadines are now being facilitated by the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) as the country pleads for support.

Donations can be made ranging from US$10-$5,000 or any other personalised amount on the helpstvincent.com/ website.

The La Soufriere Volcano erupted on April 9, displacing over 20,000 Vincentians, many of whom are now living in temporary shelters.

The website said, “The NEMO of SVG desperately needs funds to house, feed, and clothe the people. Many left their homes with just a few possessions and have no idea when or if they will be able to return.”

Organisations in Trinidad and Tobago continue to collect supplies to be delivered to SVG and neighbouring islands affected by ash fall.

The charitable organisation Is There Not A Cause? (Itnac) has also started an online donation for its US-based supporters, via Go Fund Me, on its website itnactt.com. The organisation has collected $6,745 and is also facilitating donations from the public.

“The response has been amazing,” said team lead Avonelle Hector-Joseph. “We’ve had corporate citizens and businesses giving donations.” She said they have also received support from employees, churches, and schools.

She said on Wednesday night the team was close to finishing packing two 40-foot containers and have already shipped several other containers to SVG and one to St Lucia, which has been affected by ash fall.

Hector-Joseph said the group had been monitoring the situation since last December, when volcanic activity was first detected. She said on the day the team received the call that an explosion was likely, it pulled from their supplies and reached out for support.

She said they did not receive responses right away, as people were still unsure if there would be any major activity, but when the first explosion rocked the island, she said the floodgates opened and the public reached out to support.

Itnac has several drop-off spots across the country, including LA Styles Clothing, Henry Street, Port of Spain, Boss Electronics, Cunupia, and Faith Fight, Arima.

Hillview College Parent Teacher Association (PTA) also organised donations through the school which were delivered to Itnac to be shipped to SVG.

PTA president Cheryl Mohammed, in a brief interview with Newsday, said the donations from the school were significant. “The parents really showed up.”

She said one parent organised to have an army vehicle collect the goods form the school on Sunday and deliver them to one of Itnac’s drop-off locations.

The school donated thousands of dollars’ worth of goods including 250 cases of water, 120 bales of toilet paper, five boxes of hand sanitiser, and 12 boxes of baby products including diapers, wipes, and food.

The Ansa McAl group of companies has organised donations to SVG through its You’ll Never Walk Alone initiative.

In a statement, the group said it donated thousands of dollars’ worth of supplies.

“As part of the first tranche of assistance from the private sector, Ansa Chemicals donated Clean and White bleach valued at approximately $16,000.”

It said Ansa Polymer donated 3,000 basins and Alstons’s Marketing Company (Amco) over 1,000 cans of Brunswick Tuna. The donations were co-ordinated through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM).

“These items were loaded on the Galleons Passage’s first voyage to SVG on April 13, together with essential products from corporate TT.”

The statement said on Wednesday, the second tranche of assistance was co-ordinated. Ansa Merchant Bank donated six pallets of water and 5,000 face masks. Standard Distributors Ltd contributed 100 mattresses that were loaded on board the cargo ship Admiral Bay and delivered to NEMO.

The statement said Carib Brewery, for the first time, produced a special order of lightly carbonated canned water for the people of SVG. The first shipment, over 1,300 cases, will be shipped on Saturday.

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"Help pours in for St Vincent from Trinidad and Tobago"

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