[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 65 (Thursday, April 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING PEOPLE AFFECTED BY LA SOUFRIERE VOLCANO

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, on April 9, La Soufriere volcano on the 
Caribbean Island of St. Vincent began a series of explosive eruptions. 
The volcano has erupted several times since that date.
  The eruptions have blanketed the island nation with clouds of 
volcanic ash and hot gas and are so large that they have reached the 
neighboring island of Barbados, 110 miles away. The eruption has 
resulted in the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
  Electric outages, destroyed crops and forests, wildlife killed, and 
water shortages are some of the immediate issues. The 16,000 evacuated 
residents present dire health issues as people are moved to congregant 
areas in a community that has had very little vaccination to date.
  This natural disaster, along with other struggles brought on by 
COVID, will cause St. Vincent and the Grenadines to struggle for the 
next few years. It presents an opportunity for American action with 
humanitarian disaster relief, support for COVID vaccinations, and 
future technical assistance.
  I am asking this body to use its influence and legislative actions to 
support St. Vincent, to keep out China and its influence, along with 
Venezuela, in support of our brothers and sisters.

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