NYC – April 11- Brooklyn’s Borough President and mayoral candidate Eric Adams and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General Howie Prince held a press conference on a chilly and rainy Sunday afternoon appealing to all New Yorkers to help the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines stricken by the eruption of La Soufriere Volcano. More than 20,000 persons residing in towns and villages near the volcano have been evacuated. The island is blanketed with several inches of ash. The ash, also scattered across neighboring states such as Barbados, (forcing Grantley Adams International Airport to close with a projected reopening on April 14^th) Grenada, St. Lucia and Martinique, poses a health hazard especially to people with respiratory ailments.

Adams and Prince reiterated Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves’ appeal: “Our immediate needs are water, bedding, respiratory equipment and supplies, and sanitary products for babies/elderly/women.”

Consul General Prince has asked Congresswoman Yvette Clarke to lobby the federal government and Borough President Eric Adams to appeal to NY-State Governor Andrew Cuomo to authorize a military cargo plane to transport emergency supplies to the nation. Therefore, now is the time for New Yorkers to give enough supplies to load-up the plane.

Last Saturday afternoon a van, provided to collect items, was seen on Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, and Caribbean nationals in the neighborhood were rushing to the van with supplies.

On Monday, EVERYBODY’S Magazine will provide a drop off point in the Bronx and Queens. Here are approved sites collecting supplies:

FRIENDS OF CROWN HEIGHTS EDUCATIONAL CENTER

671 Prospect Pl.

(Between Bedford and Franklin Avenues)

Brooklyn, NY

Other FOCH centers at bottom. (EVERYBODY’S readers, a list of FOCH centers is in the June month of EVERYBODY’S 2021 Global Caribbean Calendar.)

BROOKLYN BOROUGH HALL

210 Joralemon Street

Brooklyn, NY  

For other drop locations

Contact: St. Vincent & the Gren. Consulate(212) 687-4490 

For information about medical needs contact

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ON A MISSION

Shanita Scotland, RN

(917) 373-9767

s.scotland@mpom.org 

To send a monetary donation contact the consulate (212) 687-4490. 

La Soufriere erupted in 1902 when more than 1,000 persons were killed. The 1979 eruption was covered by EVERYBODY’S Magazine and, in conjunction with WLIB Radio, led a fundraising drive.