July 30 — NEMA deadline for Montserrat aid

THE National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) has appealed to the public to come forward and donate vital supplies which will be used to help the people of Montserrat.

In a statement yesterday, NEMA said the deadline for the donation of these supplies is July 30 “to facilitate the early delivery of collected supplies to Montserrat.” Persons and organisations wishing to assist can deliver their donations between 9 am and 4 pm to the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society’s offices at Fitzblackman Drive, Wrightson Road Extension (Port-of-Spain), Chancery Lane (San Fernando) and Signal Hill (Tobago).

The official needs list for Montserrat includes: 10,000 gallons of bottled drinking water; 5,000 ash masks (3m 8511 or 8822 type N95); respirators ( 50 fullface piece, 20 half-masks, 500 replaceable cartridges/filters N95 filters with less than 2 parts per million); fire hoses; four industrial vaccums; salt-water and fresh water high pressure pumps; spare bristles for mechanical brooms; 200 hard-bristle brooms; 200 flat-headed shovels; ten wheelbarrows; 100 goggles/eyeguards (ARCO EG240); 250 cases of eyewash; animal feed (cattle, sheep, goats and chickens); bales of hay; one bobcat and two mobile water tanks.

Montserrat has been declared a disaster area by the island’s governor Anthony Longrigg following a large volcanic explosion at the Soufriere Hills Volcano around 10.45 pm on July 12. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDERA) is coordinating the regional appeal for assistance and TT is a participating state of CDERA.