The Bottom, Saba – The Saba Red Cross branch has initiated a donation drive to assist residents of St. Vincent who have been affected by the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano.

The Red Cross is doing a lot to support St. Vincent and the neighbouring islands. Multiple actions have been taken and continue to be taken, whereby the different components of the Red Cross are working together in a coordinated manner. Some components are currently in the field and others are supporting behind the scene to implement response operations.

“The Red Cross Saba understands that Saba’s residents also wish to help people that are going through this horrific ordeal now. Red Cross Saba shares this sentiment and had contact with the other branches, both national and international. In that respect the decision has been made to open a donation initiative for St. Vincent,” the Saba Red Cross board stated in a press release on Thursday.

The Saba Red Cross is urging persons and other organizations to donate money instead of goods. “The financial and logistical aspects of donations of goods in kind to St. Vincent do not outweigh the benefits of a monetary donation,” it was explained.

In this regard, the Red Cross Saba decided to follow the line of action taken by the International Federation of the Red Cross, as such an alignment will bring the most efficient benefit from the Saban population to the people in St. Vincent.

The Red Cross on St. Vincent and international Red Cross teams have been closely monitoring the situation since the volcano alert level in St. Vincent and the Grenadines was elevated late December 2020 due to increased volcanic activity.

On April 9, La Soufrière erupted explosively for the first time in over 40 years, sending an ash plume 10km into the sky. Subsequent multiple eruptions have been reported since. This has resulted in heavy ashfall in the surrounding areas, causing people to flee to different parts of St. Vincent and to the neighbouring island of St. Lucia.

Some 16,000 people have been directly affected by the volcanic eruption, with almost all of St. Vincent’s 110,600 population indirectly affected by ashfall and water restrictions, and an unquantified number of others also affected in neighbouring islands. Ash plumes and sulphur dioxide have reached far enough to affect Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia.

People on Saba are kindly asked to donate via the Saba Red Cross bank account (RBC # 800009990001423), at the Saba Red Cross office in the Windwardside or to drop their donation in the Red Cross Saba collecting boxes that have been placed at various locations on the island, such as at SEC, SATEL, Bizzy Bee and the supermarkets.

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