Prime Minister inspects emergency supplies for St. Vincent and the Grenadines

-first shipment leaves this evening

Prime Minister Hon. Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips has lauded the Private Sector Commission (PSC) for responding quickly to the needs of those persons affected by the volcano eruption in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Prime Minister expressed this sentiment on Tuesday, following a visit to Muneshwers Limited Wharf in Georgetown, where workers and representatives of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) were packing approximately 300 tonnes of emergency supplies for dispatch.

PM Phillips said it is, “A commendable effort of collaboration between the Government of Guyana and the Private Sector of Guyana. When I say the Private Sector of Guyana – the Private Sector Commission, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Guyana Manufacturing Service Association and the organisations throughout the country in every region.

They have contributed to this effort and we are at a state where we’re almost finish loading the boat.”

He said a list of needs submitted by Vincentian authorities has been used as a guide to determine which items to send.

“The President had a call with the Prime Minister of St. Vincent, Colonel Craig from CDC here has been in touch with CDEMA, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and we basically used the list as a guide, put together the relief supplies we are sending to St. Vincent.

We placed a lot of emphasis on water, so a lot of water is loaded. A lot of sanitation and hygiene supplies and we have a lot of foodstuff, of course the emphasis on non-perishable food stuff.”  

The Prime Minister said he was proud of Guyana and the private sector for the quick response and support they have rendered. 

He also said the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are resilient and he has every confidence they will recover from the natural disaster.

Meanwhile, CDC’s Director-General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig says while Barbados will take the lead to provide manpower support to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana stands ready to provide any additional support.

“We have not received any request for manpower but we have on standby, technical, my operation staff, if they need support in the operational aspect of the response.”  

Lt. Col. Craig said this is only the first shipment, with another set for later in the week. 

“In this storage facility, we have a lot of other additional items that will be transported on vessels that are supposed to be leaving on vessel, Topical Shipping, on Thursday and then another vessel on standby to leave either Friday or Saturday.”  

Additionally, PSC Chairman Mr. Nicholas Boyer said despite the pandemic, he was especially proud of the Private Sector’s response to the disaster.

“Business obviously even though they are a little cash-strapped during the pandemic, saw the images of what was happening in St Vincent, felt moved by those images and the call for help from Caribbean brothers and sisters and stepped up to the plate to donate.”

The vessel, Miss Meena leaves Guyana this evening for St. Vincent and the Grenadines with a full Guyanese crew on board, including personnel from the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard.