St Vincent and the Grenadines: Volcanoes

(asked on 24th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many people have been displaced as a result of the volcanic eruption on St Vincent island in April; and what financial contribution they have made so far to the relief efforts.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 8th July 2021

According to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), 24,651 people have been displaced as a result of the eruption of La Soufrière.

The UK pledged an initial £200,000 to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) response teams to help address the immediate humanitarian impact of the eruptions. This provided urgent technical expertise to help co-ordinate the relief effort, including the provision of lifesaving emergency supplies, the restoration of telecommunications and transport links and other immediate needs including around the provision of water and electricity and in the health and agriculture sectors. This assistance was also key for undertaking critical sectoral damage and needs assessments to help inform the recovery effort.

With the launch of the UN funding appeal the UK allocated a further £550,000 to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide cash and voucher assistance to help an estimated 13,000 affected people to meet their immediate food, nutrition and other essential needs for an initial period of 3 months. WFP is a trusted and proven partner with whom we have a strong long-term relationship and established systems for delivering support in the Caribbean. This allocation built on previous humanitarian assistance and social protection work supported by the UK in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

UK bilateral support to the immediate emergency response totalled £750,000 (approximately US$1,043,000). This came from the ODA crisis reserve. In addition, prior to the eruption the UK provided funding of £51,000 for helicopter support for surveillance and equipment installation. This boosted early warning of the impending eruption therefore allowing for a timely evacuation.

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