“We have more ash than water”, the Prime Minister of San Vicente recounts the despair on the Caribbean island

The volcano La Soufriere, one of the most active in the Caribbean, woke up again, on the same day as its last eruption, in April 1979.

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Tremors, pyroclastic flows and particle clouds have been the day and night of the inhabitants of San Vicente since then, where, according to the United Nations, a “humanitarian crisis “.

Gonsalves has been prime minister for more than 20 years. (Getty Images).

Almost 20% of the country’s inhabitants (an archipelago of 32 islands with a population of 100,000 people) have been evacuated, while access to clean water and food is increasingly limited.

“We have had more ash than drinking water,” says the prime minister of the Caribbean country in an exclusive interview with BBC Mundo. Ralph Gonsalves.

The head of the Labor Unity Party, which has held the reins of the island since 2001, assures that the current eruption is the worst the country has experienced in more than a century.

The last eruption of the volcano took place in 1979. (AFP).

“I experienced the eruption of 1979 here and this one is much worse. It is comparable to that of 1902, which left 116,000 dead, ”he says.

Although the eruption is still continuing and at the moment no deaths have been reported, Gonsalves estimates that the material losses that the island has experienced are in the millions.

“The assets that we have at risk in terms of agriculture, fishing, housing and road infrastructure, are around billions of dollars. And of course, there is the social impact that this situation can also have ”, he says.

The United Nations warned on Wednesday that the situation could become a regional problem, not only because the eruption could extend for months, but because several Caribbean islands, including Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda, have already been affected.

But the prime minister sees an even worse short-term risk: The eruption has complicated efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic in the country, where the virus had been relatively contained.

This is a synthesis of the conversation that Gonsalves had with BBC Mundo, which has been shortened for reasons of synthesis and clarity.

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Ash clouds have risen for miles into the atmosphere. (Reuters).

A week later, what is the situation on the greater island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?

The activity continues at La Soufriere. This morning (Thursday) at 4:41 am the volcano had another eruption, but it was less intense.

The energy is tending to get weaker, but it continues, and just because it’s weaker now doesn’t mean it won’t be stronger again.

The problem now is that the explosions, even though they no longer rise as high in the atmosphere as at the beginning, many times they descend from the slopes as pyroclastic flows, which are very dangerous.

What is the human impact that this eruption has had on San Vicente?

In total, we believe that between 16,000 and 20,000 people have been evacuated.

We have 4,200 people in shelters and more than 6,000 who are staying with family and friends.

The latter is the number that we know, because they have registered with us, although the number may be higher.

In fact, the numbers are increasing every day.

But regardless of where they are evacuated, everyone is in need of food and water.

🌋 🇻🇨 The subplinal eruption that develops in # LaSoufrière It is one of the most powerful that the volcano has recorded since 1902, it is one of the most active volcanoes of the volcanic arc of the #Caribe.

Soufière Saint Vicent went without causing eruptions for 42 years. pic.twitter.com/VbVLvXKXiv

— EarthQuakesTime (@EarthQuakesTime) April 10, 2021

And the coordination to get water and food has been complicated.

The water distribution system is still not working due to the effect of volcanic ash.

Some local experts have warned that this situation could also affect the food chain and the quality of life of the population of San Vicente.

The eruption has put great strain on our food distribution system.

It must be taken into account that we have had to evacuate a fifth of the total population of the country.

Between 30% and 40% of the surface of the main island of the country is directly affected by this situation.

Ash covers the island of San Vicente. (Reuters).

It is the main area where agriculture, animal husbandry and fishing are developed, which are the traditional jobs of the east and northeast coast of the country, which are now the most affected.

That just makes you realize the pressure the food chain is receiving.

The rash could last for months. (Reuters).

One of the most affected regions is the northeast, which is the one that I represent in Parliament, which is an area where many people live from agriculture, fishing and livestock, so it also makes it an additional reason for heartbreak for me.

And in the midst of this natural disaster, the country is also facing, like so many others in the world, the coronavirus pandemic.

That is the biggest challenge. In recent days, mainly in the last 24 hours, the number of people who have been infected has increased, compared to how it was at the beginning of the eruption.

We controlled the epidemic in the beginning quite well, but there are many people gathered together for the evacuation.

Ralph Gonsalves has been visiting shelters in various areas of the island. (Reuters).

We have tried to do as much testing as we can and we are encouraging people to get vaccinated as we have some vaccines.

So far, we have about 20% of the population vaccinated, but this is not enough to achieve (herd) immunity. And there are sectors of the population that have doubts about the vaccine.

The island’s sky has been blackened by ash for more than a week. (Reuters).

Added to this is that physical distance and hand disinfection are difficult in a shelter setting.

We are encouraging the population to wear a mask and most are using it, but in that environment of many people together it is easier for the coronavirus to spread.

What steps has your government taken to protect people living in the area of ​​greatest risk? Local media assures that many people are still in areas near the volcano.

Most of the population, almost 98%, has left the danger zone. There is still a group of people who are still there, for different reasons. And when they want to get out of there, we try to get them out by sea, if we can’t get them out by road.

How have other nations of the world responded to the current crisis your country is going through?

We have had great solidarity among the local people and have received some assistance from regional friends and others from the global community.

The country has received aid from numerous nations and international organizations. (Getty Images).

How is your government planning access to financing funds in this situation?

We are working with the World Bank, as we traditionally do, and with the Caribbean Development Bank, the European Union and also some governments, such as the British, the Canadian, the Venezuelan, the Cuban, the Republic of China of Taiwan and Japan.

Also with organizations such as CELAC and the Caribbean Community.

We are mobilizing resources with our allies, both regionally and internationally.

A satellite image shows the layer of ash that covers some populations of the island. (MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES).

Last December, the La Soufriere volcano became active and many experts warned that a large-scale eruption, like the one now, was imminent. To what extent was your government prepared to deal with this situation?

We have done great preparation over the years for these situations. But a problem of this magnitude transcends the capacities and organization of the country.

No matter how much you plan or organize, the demands are tremendous.

Recently, the Seismological Center of the University of the East Indies warned that La Soufriere’s activity could extend for several weeks and even up to a year. What consequences can this have for life on the island? How does your government plan to deal with such a potential situation?

It would be terrible.

It would mean that production would drop, people would need long-term support, and we would have to feed these people for a long period of time. Many people would have to stay in shelters and many of them have children, who could not go back to school.

But we are both surviving and hopeful to rebuild better and stronger, counting on the solidarity that exists among the population and the help of our friends in the region and the international community.

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