“Pat yourself on the back Montserrat. You’ve done an amazing job,” said Lorraine Lewis, Operations Director for Montserrat Shipping Services.
Lewis was speaking from Port Little Bay as she oversaw the loading of 33 pallets of relief supplies to be sent to the people of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Montserrat sprang into action once word, images and video of the eruptions began streaming in from St. Vincent four Fridays ago. St. Vincent’s La Soufriere volcano has erupted at least 30 times since April 8, 2021 and displaced more than 20,000 residents. Some living in shelters across the island and others staying with relatives and friends. The estimated damage to its agricultural crops is XCD150 million.
Being very familiar with the trauma of moving home, dealing with eruptions, recurring ash falls and loss of property and livelihoods, various groups on island have held fundraisers to support the residents of St. Vincent over the past four weeks.
On Friday, Lewis oversaw the loading of the MV Promise Kept with the supplies collected from the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA), the Montserrat Red Cross, the Rotaract Club and friends and family of residents in St. Vincent.
“The turnout has been remarkable,” Lewis said via a live Facebook post from the bay.
The DMCA has sent 12 pallets from Montserrat’s emergency stockpile and includes 7200- N95 masks, 400 blankets, 200 cots, 140 helmets, water pump and accessories, eight folding tables and push-brooms.
The Youth Programme of the Montserrat Red Cross conducted a feminine care products drive. This was found to be a pressing need identified by the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Red Cross. The donations will be sent to the women and girls across the various shelters.
The Rotaract Club of Montserrat in collaboration with the local St. Vincent community collected 15 barrels worth of clothing, bottled water and other supplies at their Saturday, April 17 breakfast/lunch sale.
The Rotary Club of Montserrat has separately shipped four pallets of bottled water to St. Vincent.
Cash donations have also been collected for the volcano relief campaign.
The MV Promise Kept is expected to reach St. Vincent & the Grenadines by Monday, May 3, 2021.
