US relief arrives in St. Vincent

On Saturday, November 13, a “Denton” shipment valued at approximately US$69,000 of donated humanitarian supplies, arrived in St. Vincent via a U.S. military aircraft. The materials, almost 14,000 lbs of clothing, educational materials, and hygiene and medical supplies for clinics, nurseries and hospitals in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, were donated by private U.S. citizens to assist the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who were affected by Hurricane Tomas last month.{{more}}

These donations are delivered through the Denton Programme, which enables private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space available on U.S. military planes and vessels to transport humanitarian goods, such as clothing, food, medical and educational supplies, and agricultural equipment and vehicles, to countries in need.

The programme is jointly administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

This humanitarian aid will be distributed in St. Vincent by Good News Projects, an organization based in Wisconsin, USA.

The shipment also includes building materials; desks and school supplies for pre-schools, primary and secondary schools; and nursing and health sciences text books.

The aid complements relief assistance previously provided by the U.S. Government to assist the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Recently, USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance provided US$50,000 in emergency relief aid, through the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, for the local procurement of emergency relief supplies to assist storm-affected populations. In addition to these funds, on November 2, the U.S. Government transported immediate supplies to St. Vincent and the Grenadines from USAID/OFDA stockpiles in Miami, to serve the needs of approximately 1,000 storm-affected families, including 1,056 hygiene kits, 1,000 water containers, 1,000 blankets, and 100 rolls of plastic sheeting. The materials are being distributed by local partners.

The United States Embassy remains in close consultation with the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to assess needs and potential additional support.

OFDA’s Regional Director for the Caribbean and Central America will be in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for further consultations with the Government and the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO).