Eruption of La Soufrière Volcano Continues, Impacting St Vincent and Surrounding Islands
A lava dome appears on La Soufrière prior to the 2021 eruption (Wikimedia Commons).
La Soufrière, a volcano located on the Eastern Caribbean island St. Vincent, began erupting on April 9. Initial orders to evacuate the surrounding area came a day before. 4,500 of the 16,000 Vincentians affected by the evacuation orders fled from the region. Eruptions continued over the weekend, and the most explosive one so far occurred on April 12. According to Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, there have been no reported deaths or injuries as of April 11.
Signs of activity at La Soufrière reemerged in December 2020, following the 42 year period of dormancy since La Soufrière’s last explosion in 1979. Erouscilla Joseph, the director of the University of the West Indies’s Seismic Research Center, contends that the recent eruption is comparable to La Soufrière’s 1902 eruption, which resulted in the death of approximately 1,600 people. Scientists expect the eruptions to continue over the coming weeks.
La Soufrière is located on the northern part of the island, but St. Vincent’s National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) reported on April 11 that the majority of the island is “out of power and covered in ash.” This includes Kingstown, the capital of St. Vincent, which is located on the southern part of the island. The nearby island countries Barbados and St. Lucia report ashfall as well.
Vincentian Deputy Prime Minister Montgomery Daniel visited the northeast part of the island on April 11, and he told NBC Radio that the eruptions severely damaged farms and forests. The eruptions also resulted in food and water shortages. Rhiannon West, a resident of St. Vincent, told the BBC that her family has not had running water since Thursday and that a nearby store ran out of bottled water.
Surrounding states have stepped in to help St Vincent. According to a tweet by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Barbados Defense Force has been deployed to St. Vincent to offer humanitarian assistance. Antigua, Grenada, and St. Lucia have also opened their borders to Vincentians affected by the eruptions.
Relief efforts are complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 14 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in St. Vincent since April 9, when the eruptions began. Gonsalves stated that all those evacuated to surrounding islands must be vaccinated prior to boarding the cruise ships. As of April 12, 3,700 Vincentians remain at one of 84 government shelters with testing services. Those who test positive will be sent to isolation centers.
Gonsalves stated that it may take four months for St. Vincent to return to normalcy.