NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The United Nations launched an appeal yesterday for $ 29.2 million to help some 15,000 displaced people when the La Soufriere volcano erupted on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent earlier this month.
“We’re in a dire situation … We’re not out of the woods,” St Vincent and Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told reporters, adding that scientists had warned that explosions could last another six months.
The volcano erupted on April 9 after decades of inactivity, spewing dark clouds of ash about 10 km (6 miles) into the air and triggering the evacuation of thousands of people. The volcano has continued to rumble and vent ashes.
Didier Trebucq, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, visited the affected areas two days ago with Gonsalves and described the scene as “apocalyptic.” He said the United Nations appeal was to increase aid for six months.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which has a population of just over 100,000, has not experienced volcanic activity since 1979, when an eruption resulted in about $ 100 million in damages.
An explosion by La Soufriere in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people. The name means “sulfur outlet” in French.