Nearly a Fifth of St Vincent Displaced: A Jamaican Church in Calgary Sends Relief After the Volcano

• Southeast Hope Assembly, a Jamaican church in Calgary, donated clothing, food, water and toiletries to St Vincent
• La Soufrière’s eruptions displaced nearly a fifth of St Vincent’s 100,000 population, the report said
• A Toronto shipper offered free storage and shipping of relief supplies
• Many displaced families moved in with relatives in safe zones or to neighbouring islands

A Jamaican congregation in Calgary, Canada, has sent relief supplies to St Vincent and the Grenadines after the eruption of La Soufrière volcano displaced large numbers of people, the Jamaica Observer reported.

Southeast Hope Assembly (SEHA) donated clothing, food, water and toiletries, which were packed and handed to the St Vincent and the Grenadines Association of Calgary. The association shipped them, with items from other Calgarians, to KLC shippers in Toronto, which offered free storage and shipping to St Vincent, where the National Emergency Management Organisation would distribute them.

The eruptions displaced nearly a fifth of the country’s 100,000 population living in affected communities, the report said. More than a week after the explosive eruptions began, much of the island was still under a blanket of ash, and experts expected explosions and ashfall to continue for weeks. The volcano, which rises just over 3,800 feet on St Vincent, last erupted in 1979.

Many displaced families found refuge in the homes of relatives and friends in designated green zones, while others were taken to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and Grenada. “We are grateful for the people who contributed to this worthy cause to help our brothers and sisters in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” said SEHA Pastor Aaron Russell, who asked for continued prayers for the islanders.

The eruption left thousands of people living in other people’s homes, and ash covered roofs, water tanks and farmland. Relief supplies meet the first need. Clearing ash, repairing roofs and deciding whether to rebuild in the danger zone come later and cost far more. The diaspora network SEHA used, a church, an island association and a shipper willing to carry goods free, is the same one Jamaicans abroad use after hurricanes at home. Churches abroad can do the most good by staying involved after the first shipment, when families start repairing and rebuilding their homes.

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