La Soufriere continues explosive eruptive phase
La Soufriere Volcano in St Vincent has entered an explosive eruptive phase with tremors continuously experienced overnight.
The country’s National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) confirmed that the 4,049-foot volcano had erupted on Friday morning.
“La Soufriere Volcano erupted the second Friday in April (Friday, April 13) in 1979, four days shy of its anniversary it has again erupted on the second Friday in April (9) in 2021,” said National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO).
The island is covered in ash and the smell of sulphur continues to permeate the air.
According to an update by the UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC), the size of the tremor peaked between 8 pm and midnight on Friday and slowly declined in the following hours.
It also added that a small number of volcano-tectonic, long-period and hybrid earthquakes have been recorded during the tremor.
Audible rumblings accompanied by ashfall throughout St. Vincent and some areas in Barbados were also recorded.
It is expected that La Soufriere’s eruptive phase will continue over the next few days and weeks with explosions to be of similar or larger magnitude.
Evacuation continues
Evacuation continues for Vincentians. Currently, there are over 2000 people in shelters currently.
Two Royal Caribbean cruise ships and two Carnival cruise ships arrived Friday at St. Vincent to help transport the thousands of people who evacuated their homes. A third Royal Caribbean ship is scheduled to arrive within the next few days.
However, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said the cruise ships require Vincentians to be vaccinated to board the ships. Similarly, some countries which have indicated that they would accept evacuees also want them to be vaccinated.
Persons going into shelters in St Vincent and the Grenadines have also been strongly recommended to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We do not want to have an outbreak of COVID-19,” said Gonsalves.
Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia have said that they will take in evacuees while other Caribbean nations have expressed their willingness to assist St Vincent and the Grenadines.