Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is currently facing a complex situation due to the ongoing eruption of the La Soufrière volcano, so thousands of people are today evacuated and in need of basic supplies, the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesman said.

With the emergency funds, Lowcock added, the multilateral body´s agencies will provide clean water and hygiene equipment as well as financial relief (in cash) to the most vulnerable people at risk of food insecurity.

According to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, up to 20,000 people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have been evacuated from the area closest to the volcano, and some 4,500 are in shelters.

The persistent ash fall and pyroclastic flows damage crops and affect livestock, and this is likely to worsen food insecurity and poverty, UN reports indicated.

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