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Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 14, 2021 (SKNIS): Several hotels in St. Kitts and Nevis have stepped forward to support the government’s relief efforts to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the wake of the ongoing La Soufrière volcano eruptions.

As part of a humanitarian package, St. Kitts and Nevis government has offered to receive 300 hundred persons who were displaced as a result of the volcanic eruption in the neighbouring Caribbean nation also known as the Gem of the Antilles.

Abdias Samuel, National Disaster Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said that accommodation commitments have already been made. Koi Resort St. Kitts has made available 70 rooms that can accommodate two to three persons while the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, as well as the Sugar Bay Club has identified 30 rooms each. That brings the total available rooms to 130 in St. Kitts. A hotel in Nevis has also committed 30 rooms to the humanitarian assistance programme.

“We are also advocating for citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis as well as Vincentians who are here … to accept persons from St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Mr. Samuel said on the April 13, 2021 edition of Leadership Matters: A Virtual Forum Series.

Interested persons can register at NEMA located at Lime Kiln Commercial Development or the Nevis Disaster Management Department at Long Point.   

Mr. Samuel added that a multi-agency public and private sector committee is being established to manage the process. It will be led by officials from the Department of Social Development and include representatives from the Ministries of Finance; Foreign Affairs; Education, and Health, as well as the Department of Labour, and St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Representatives from the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nevis Disaster Management Department will also serve on the committee.

The La Soufrière volcano erupted on April 09, 2021. Further eruptions have taken place as it remains very active.

In addition to welcoming 300 displaced persons, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has pledged financial assistance in the sum of EC $1 million to assist with the evacuation and resettling of citizens and residents from the danger zone; has agreed to provide human resources through the Regional Security System (RSS) recruited from St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force and the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force to support humanitarian, technical and peace-keeping efforts on the ground in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and contributed US $20,000 towards the Special Emergency Assistance Fund of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in order to bring immediate relief to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and support its logistical operations.

Like St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).