Student campaigns for St Vincent victims

Relatives rally post eruption - 3rd May 2021

The sight of her beloved Caribbean island shrouded in a blanket of grey ash has galvanised an 18 year old student into action.

In early April, the volcano La Soufrière erupted after four decades of dormancy, causing untold damage and forcing 20,000 St Vincent islanders to be evacuated from their homes.

School student Shelena Artman is from Bristol UK but given both her father and grandfather hail from St Vincent, the place is of personal and cherished significance. Her grandfather had a narrow escape from a prior eruption in 1902, when he was a mere babe in arms.

Shelena's initial thoughts were for the safety and well-being of her distant family members, but she was then struck by the stark images of the ash-cloaked island, normally a place of immense natural beauty.

"It's a beautiful island and just to see it all covered in grey, it was heartbreaking and devastating and I felt quite helpless," she said.

Her father, Ozzie, remarked:

"It looks like snow but of course it's much more dangerous. It's five inches in some places and it's ruining the vegetation."

Now fundraising in earnest, Shelena is also assisting in the collection of supplies with a view to helping relief efforts. In Bristol, donations are being gratefully received at two specially set up depots, with face masks, sanitary items and inflatable beds particularly sought after.

Since the initial incident, roughly 4000 displaced islanders have been taking shelter in temporary accommodation. However, facilities on the ground are rudimentary, and even basic provisions such as drinking water are scarce.

With the UN anticipating the humanitarian disaster persisting for months, initial aid efforts are to concentrate on the provision of both clean water and shelter, while the follow-on stage will centre on a mass clean-up programme. As Didier Trebucq, the UN Coordinator for the region, clarified, this procedure is essential not only with regards to environmental health but also "to make sure life can come back to normal outside the red zone as soon as possible."