5:30am as i type this. Gentle rain is still falling in the aftermath of Day 1 in what’s called ‘ash fall‘ brought on from the eruption of Soufrière volcano on a sister island named, St. Vincent.

Yesterday, many in ‘Bim’ woke up to see a muted sun amidst a sky of pre-existing (passing) dust haze and ash ushered in by the wind.

i went out in the morning just a couple avenues away to see if the shop was open; needed to get a few things since everywhere’s closed on Sundays here since the word ‘lockdown‘ came to our global town.

The shop was closed and i was the only one outside on that stretch except for a passing car with ash-stained windows. As it zoomed by, what i thought was dust but discovered was ash, stirred up from the barber green and danced a foot or so high for a few moments after the car moved on.

Mid-morning in the house, lights were needed to see. In the afternoon, on the west the sky was grey-white and the falling ash started to intensify yet birds were still singing and doing their thing. These are indeed serious times…but times have always been serious, because life is no game. Sometimes we forget.

While thousands of people were given the instruction to evacuate and offered travel assistance (by cruise ships) and safe harbour, the requirement involves being vaccinated in exchange for evacuation and being welcomed onto other shores. This seems like a ‘no brainer’ to some while to others it smashes the toes on their beliefs after a year and some of living in and out of ‘lockdown’ from another situation.

Donate directly to the Gov’t disaster relief fund for St. Vincent here

Moving right along – mssgd a longtime sister-friend who lives with her family in St. Vincent. We’d emailed the day before but for obvious reasons, i sent another message. She replied and is alright. Lots of ash where she is, but safe and sound.

i called the shopkeeper later in the day, and yes they were now open. Went outside to make the short walk; mask in hand. By the time i reached the l’il front gate, i realized it was…snowing? No, ash was falling…like warm snow flurries on my skin and dust was trying to fly in my eyes. Went back for an umbrella and shades and made the 10 min. trek there and back. By the time i got in, even with all that gear on, had to shake and wash it all off. The pics coming up were taken on the way.

If this is what we’ve been experiencing, even with visuals shared from Vincie land, i can’t imagine what it’s like for our brothers, sisters and the little ones amidst multiple eruptions and fluctuating or no access to running or river water in different parts of the island. Sharing some resources (at the end of this post) to reach out and lend a helping hand with supplies, posted on both Broadcast Barbados (IG stories) and other Vincentian avenues you can check out for yourself when you have a chance.

Photos posted and videos uploaded from around Bim, especially in the north and mid-section are more eye-opening than these, with ash falling like intense rain and crops covered in ash.

Donate directly to the official Government disaster relief fund for St. Vincent here

Official Instagram of Saint Vincent & The Grenadines @saintvincentgrenadines – numbers in different countries/islands to donate supplies

People with donations are asked to contact (National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) on telephone numbers 440-8390/ 8391/8392 or mobile phone 533-0766/ 405-5046.

Update: as i type this, the last droplets of overnight and morning rain are splattering on the ground…

There is so much going on around the world on any given day. It isn’t that one set of people aren’t more important than the other. Today, i’m sharing about our brothers and sisters next door but there are so many facing so much…so let’s lift each other up every gifted day.

Shared with love. Thanks for reading y’all.

“Love Thy Neighbour As Thyself”

Please pray for the people of St. Vincent.

Most important thing is to know Whose hands our life is in…