St. Vincent Evacuee Flees Volcano Eruption

Before St. Vincent’s La Soufrière erupted this morning for the first time since 1979, thousands living near the volcano were told to evacuate.

One of them was Cammie Spring, the mother of one of 18º North’s past contributors, Recardo Wilson.

She spoke to us about her experience evacuating yesterday from her home in Georgetown in the north of the island to be with her son in the capital, Kingstown. She also weighed in on the process to evacuate the approximately 18,000 persons affected.

Editing of Audio by: Nora-Gaye Banton

Photo taken from the Facebook page of SVG Health via NBC Radio.

The volcano, La Soufrière, is at the north of the island. Map used under a Creative Commons license.

Other updates from Deputy Director of the Agency for Public Information on the Evacuation Process, Nadia Slater:-

• In order to board the cruise ships for a neighboring Caribbean island like Barbados, you must be vaccinated, even if it is just the first round of the vaccine that you’ve received.

• Vincentians are strongly advised to get vaccinated before entering a local shelter but will not be turned back if not yet vaccinated.

• Evacuees can go to neighboring Grenadine islands if they wish. 32 islands make up The Grenadines. Fewer than 10 are inhabited including, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island.

  Sidebar: Celebrities including musicians Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams, and members of the British Royal Family have been known to frequent Mustique, according to 18º North contributing reporter Sheron Garraway.

• Current occupancy as of this morning in shelters was approximately 5,000. (This figure does not include those in hotels or staying with families.) While evacuees are encouraged to bring three days of food supply to the shelters, the government is providing food.

• According to local scientists, this kind of volcanic activity could continue for as long as four months, necessitating longer evacuation periods.