PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said Cabinet will discuss giving financial assistance to those affected by the volcano eruption in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, he said: “I want all Bahamians to remember that when we were affected by Dorian, Jamaica sent its Defence Force here to assist us. Trinidad and Barbados likewise sent their Defence Force to assist us with security. Had it not been for their assistance, we could have experienced severe problems within the Abaco and the Abaco cays.

“Though times are hard with us, I am certain that all responsible and loving Bahamians would agree that under these circumstances things are even worse for them because their whole agricultural products would be covered in ash, their water lines will be affected. Barbados has already offered to accept many residents from St Vincent who have relatives or relationships there and I think it’s essential that we do our part.”

Dr Minnis noted that both St Vincent and Barbados have experienced darkness because of the ash from the volcano.

“Even during the day, completely darkness,” he said. “Because of the ash, the sun is secluded and they are in continuous darkness, especially the areas that are affected. Darkness is throughout the island and because of the direction of the wind, Barbados is likewise affected. I can tell you from experience having lived in Barbados, having experienced a similar explosion from one of the islands, we went to bed, woke up that morning and found the entire island covered in ash. It is a massive clean-up effort after a volcano.

“I’ve spoken to Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados. She told me of their challenges of cleaning up. I’ve spoken to Prime Minister Gonzales in St Vincent and I’ve reassured him that we will take the matter to Cabinet and we will offer whatever assistance we have.”

The La Soufriere volcano first erupted on Friday, blanketing the island in ash and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes.

Smaller explosions over the weekend caused power cuts and disrupted water supplies.

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