Rapid and comprehensive volcano eruption response amid a pandemic

On 8 April 2021, volcanic activity from the La Soufriere volcano on the main island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines rapidly increased. A same-day evacuation order was issued by the Prime Minister and the following day, on 9 April, the volcano erupted. Ash and gas impacted basic services (water, transport, and communications) and many health facilities were evacuated. There was a surge in demand for health services in the remaining operational facilities which were already struggling due to a high caseload from the COVID-19 pandemic. One-fifth of the island population was affected and displaced by the event.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/WHO provided comprehensive, rapid, and effective support to the government to increase access and continuity of health services in the emergency and recovery phases of the response. The support provided helped to improve mental and physical outcomes for thousands of people affected by the natural disaster. PAHO continues its work in the country, improving access to integrated health services through long-term health system strengthening efforts.

How did Saint Vincent and the Grenadines do it, and how did PAHO/WHO support?

• Mobilizing medical teams and public health professionals – PAHO channeled Emergency Medical Teams into the country, as well as United Nations Regional Response Team specialists in water, sanitation and hygiene, health emergency coordination and logistics, and damage and needs assessment. The external teams and specialists provided clinical care, assessed disaster impact, and identified urgent health needs. To support in-country health professionals, PAHO collaborated with the Ministry of Health to identify displaced health workers with unmet food and accommodation needs. Through collaboration between PAHO and the International Organization for Migration, temporary accommodation was provided for 160 nurses. Food vouchers and cash transfers were facilitated in collaboration with the European Union, European Collaboration for Healthcare Optimization (ECHO) project executed by the World Food Programme.

• Delivering emergency supplies and strengthening the supply chain – PAHO provided administrative support for the country to access and receive an initial 24 000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility with the delivery of additional doses arranged for later in the year, under the COVAX Humanitarian Buffer assistance mechanism. The PAHO Strategic Fund purchased and delivered essential medical supplies and equipment to scale-up care capacity and replace damaged items in health facilities, treat and store water and monitor its quality, and ensure biosafety and personal protection. The country’s existing central store had limited space, so the PAHO/WHO Country Office rented an additional warehouse.

• Opening and ensuring the safety of vital health infrastructure – PAHO provided water, sanitation and hygiene experts and financial support for the assessment and improvement of 20 health facilities. The health facilities were deep cleaned from volcanic ashfall, hand hygiene stations were installed, water storage tanks and water pumps were provided, plumbing improvements were made, and water supply tests were procured and delivered. Assembly points had been opened to receive displaced people which presented a disease outbreak risk. To mitigate the risk, PAHO provided technical support to the Ministry of Health for the syndromic surveillance for COVID-19 and other diseases and provided and trained 35 health surveillance teams from the Ministry of Health in an Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWARS) kit to strengthen real-time reporting and analysis of early warning data. The standard EWARS kit covered 40 clinics with a combined population of 500 000 people. PAHO also procured insecticides, insecticide application equipment, and rodenticides for controlling and preventing outbreaks of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis both for families in shelters and communities.

• Providing care for noncommunicable diseases – PAHO transported nutritionists to serve people with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in shelters; and provided NCD kits (medicines and diagnostic supplies) for the management of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in a population of 10 000 people for three months; over 40 health professionals were trained in the use of the kits. PAHO evaluated Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) capacity, forming a MHPSS Technical Working Group to address identified gaps, and trained three senior clinical health managers in MHPSS coordination in humanitarian emergencies. This led to the delivery of MHPSS in 86 shelters. PAHO also conducted an MHPSS and Psychological First Aid (PFA) online course for frontline workers; a resounding 568 people registered from 22 countries.

• Communicating with the public – PAHO designed messages, developed communication materials, commissioned a videographer, and printed and distributed materials to communicate messages to the public through social media (with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)), and through public service announcements (with the Ministry of Health). Messages on video, 90 social media cards, 36 posters, and three vehicle wraps aimed to increase vaccine uptake and knowledge about hygiene and sanitation, volcanic ash exposure, mental health, and healthy eating.

Photo Credit: © Amina Williams, PAHO Country Office, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Photo Caption: A PAHO water, sanitation, and hygiene expert assesses water quality at one of the health facilities to develop a comprehensive proposal for all health facilities throughout Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

For the response’s success, strong coordination was vital. PAHO/WHO worked in close cooperation with national and local authorities as well as sub-regional emergency response entities such as the Ministry of Health of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO), in addition to other health partners, United Nations, and international organizations.

More information about the PAHO/WHO response to the La Soufriere volcano eruption can be found in this video.