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Media Release Courtesy the Government of Montserrat

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 — Brades, Montserrat – The Government of Montserrat will contribute one hundred and fifty thousand Eastern Caribbean dollars (XCD$150,000.00) along with donations of essential supplies to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as the island continues to cope with a series of eruptions at the La Soufrière Volcano. 

Montserrat’s Premier Honourable Joseph E. Farrell made the announcement on Monday April 12, 2021 following a meeting of Cabinet.

The Cabinet meeting was preceded by an Emergency Stakeholder meeting on Friday, during which stakeholders, including officials from the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA), identified relief items available on island and which can be donated based on the ‘Immediate Needs–Volcanic Emergency’ list received from the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. 

Premier Farrell said,

“Cabinet agreed on a financial contribution of $150,000.00 dollars and members of Cabinet also reviewed the list of items available locally to provide relief to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  The logistical arrangements will now be made to send the items to include cots, blankets, water purifying  tablets,  portable water bottles, wheel barrows and push-brooms, to the island.”

Additionally, the Premier announced that Cabinet was advised of the establishment of a local support team to either work from home or travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to provide assistance in key areas such as radio communications, shelter management and operational support among others.  

He noted that Montserrat has already provided technical support before the eruptions began, as scientists from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) joined their colleagues from the UWI Seismic Research Centre in St. Vincent to monitor the La Soufriere volcano, in January.  To this end, the Premier said additional technical support will be provided as the scientists will have to be rotated depending on the duration of the increased activity and eruptions. 

Discussions on the situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines will continue with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.