Immediately following the eruption of the volcano, PAHO activated its Incident Management Support Team (IMST) and Health Emergency Operation Center (EOC) at regional, subregional and national levels. Two days after the eruption, PAHO had personnel on the ground to support the Ministry of Health (MOH), and others on stand-by for rapid deployment.
In the meantime, personnel at PAHO/WHO’s Office in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were on high alert. According to Mrs. Nicole Slack-Liburd, PAHO/WHO Country Program Specialist for St. Vincent and the Grenadines at that time and now Country Program Specialist in Dominica, “Even though I knew it was a volcanic eruption, I don’t think I processed it like that, but I knew we were going to be called upon to respond and so I made the necessary contacts with the Ministry of Health to offer support”.
Mrs. Nicole Slack-Liburd, PAHO/WHO Country Program Specialist, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
“I was prepared and ready to do what was necessary but at the same time I was like, it is not a hurricane, it is not an earthquake, it is a volcano! I am going to prepare for whatever is coming although I was not sure what it was” she said. Participating in previous meetings with the Ministry of Health and other government officials helped with the readiness and preparedness to tackle multiple emergencies at one time, the volcanic eruption coupled with the current COVID-19 situation.”
Mr. Clemens Buter, PAHO/WHO Incident Manager
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assistance was one of the priority needs of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, following the La Soufriere eruption.
As accounted by PAHO/WHO Incident Manager for the volcano response Mr Clemens Buter, who was stationed in the PAHO/WHO Barbados office, “one of the first things done after a disaster is to find a WASH expert as critical services such as health care facilities need access to potable water. Engineer Ton Vlugman who is one of the most senior WASH experts in the region and a retired staff member of PAHO/WHO was asked to travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On April 11, 2021, he was the first PAHO/WHO personnel to arrive in the country, equipped with supplies like water purification tablets and water testing kits.”
Source link : https://www.paho.org/en/stories/st-vincent-and-grenadines-combined-response-covid-19-pandemic-and-soufriere-eruption
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Publish date : 2024-02-20 17:48:24
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