Volcano on St. Vincent Still Erupting

VOLCANO ON ST. VINCENT STILL ERUPTING - The prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines appealed for international help Tuesday as the Caribbean island nation begins to tackle the daunting cleanup from a series of volcanic eruptions that have not stopped.

 "The lives and livelihoods of our people have been terribly affected," Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told reporters in a video press conference. "We are in a dire situation, frankly."  About 20,000 people were evacuated from the area nearest to La Soufrière volcano on the north side of St. Vincent after it began erupting on April 9 for the first time in 42 years. The island nation has a population of about 110,000.  In some areas, ash is a meter deep, and it has given the normally green and lush island an apocalyptic appearance.