Guyana to dispatch relief items to St Vincent in 48 hours

Guyana is aiming to send relief items to St Vincent and the Grenadines in the next 48 hours, following the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano on Thursday night.

President Irfaan Ali, along with Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips and Vice President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo held an urgent meeting with members of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the Private Sector to coordinate an emergency response to help the sister CARICOM nation on Saturday.

A statement posted to the President’s social media page noted that the meeting with the President brainstormed the fastest possible route to the islands, as flying is prohibited at this time.

The Caribbean nation is grappling with the effects of the eruption of the volcano, which has severely displaced its residents, including a large number of Guyanese. There are over 4,000 Guyanese living in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

President Ali said that it is extremely important to get the items off and urged those present to put all systems in place to get it done in the fastest possible time. This emergency response is expected to be the first of many from Guyana.

Meanwhile, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) is also collaborating with the CDC and is working to supply as many items as possible on the immediate emergency needs.

Additionally, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI) has established a disaster relief fund to help St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Persons who wish to donate can do so by visiting any of our GBTI branches and make their deposits to the fund in the account below:

Account Name: ST. VINCENT DISASTER RELIEF FUND
Account Number: 011803403012