UK volunteers ship 20 foot container of supplies to SVG

A 20 foot container was handed over to the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) on Tuesday, for the relief effort.{{more}}

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Minister of National Mobilization, Frederick Stephenson explained that the container came from England and that it was a collective effort of Kelly’s Shipping, Vaughn Keir and Harvey Jobb.

Stephenson noted that the donors were also Vincentian.

“As a result of the information reaching friends in England, Vaughn Keir contacted me and asked what are the things they in England can do to assist the persons here in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” the Minister said. “I said to him that there is severe devastation and every and anything that they can give will go a long way in assisting the persons affected.”

Among other items, clothes, food supplies and water were included in the container.

Stephenson said the container was transported by the Geest Line and thanked the local agents, Coreas Hazells Inc for facilitating free delivery of the container to NEMO.

In his short remarks, director of NEMO, Howie Prince said the container was the first of several expected to be shipped to NEMO from the United Kingdom for the relief effort.

The director noted that it was the aim of the organization to aid affected people up to six months, following the disaster.

“It’s not going to be easy. It’s quite an expensive task to feed, first of all 175 persons and an additional 300 families at the community level,” he said.

Prince added that NEMO will extend a helping hand to elderly and shut in people in the communities, especially since individuals who may have helped them in the past were affected by the disaster, and cannot do so now.

“When we meet elderly and shut in who request some assistance, it’s difficult to say no,” the director said. “While there is something available, we will try to make do for as many persons as we can.”

He further thanked all the people who have contributed to the relief efforts in whatever way possible.

“We really have to thank all those persons who have chipped in so far. It has been a tremendous effort; a tremendous outpouring of love and gratitude, from locally, from the Caribbean region, from the diaspora. We are most grateful and we can assure you that this material will continue to be distributed in a fair and equitable way to those persons who have been affected,” Prince said.