CDB to implement multi-tiered response to St Vincent crisis
Published:Sunday | April 11, 2021 | 3:23 PM
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) says it is coordinating a multi-tiered response to the crisis in St Vincent and the Grenadines caused by the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano.
"The Caribbean Development Bank joins with the regional and international community in expressing our solidarity and best wishes to the Government and People of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as they endure the ongoing eruption of the La Soufrière volcano," the CDB declared in a release today.
It said it is concerned about the added difficulties the natural hazard will create for St Vincent.
"CDB is greatly concerned about the multitude of challenges the country now faces, as it grapples with the current catastrophic event and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," the CDB said.
It says its first tier of response will involve supporting the existing regional mechanism through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.
The second level of support will involve funding to assist the country with meeting its urgent needs.
"CDB is maintaining active lines of communication with the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The response here will be tailored by the immediate support requested by the government and the damage assessment," the regional development bank said.
It said it has also commenced talks with partner institutions and international donor agencies to support St Vincent and the Grenadines with impactful long-term outcomes.
The CDB outlined that its ongoing support to the Seismic Research Centre, through the Global Affairs Canada and European Union-funded Community Disaster Risk Reduction Fund’s Volcano Ready Communities Sub-Project launched in April 2018, has played a critical role in the response.
"The trained community emergency response teams have been activated and community emergency response plans, hazard maps and evacuation routes developed under the project have been rolled out. This has assisted with the evacuation of vulnerable persons and the mobilisation of transportation resources, supplies and equipment to facilitate safe movement to designated shelters in the green zone," the CDB said.
"CDB is in it for the long-haul. We will work closely with the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to restore normalcy in the shortest possible time and continue the development agenda," it assured.
It said details of its plans would be made available as soon as they have been finalised.
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