Published 30 March, 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Source: LOOP NEWS
Saint Lucia is readying for a long-dormant volcano to erupt in neighbouring St Vincent, Director of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), Dorine Gustave, said Monday.
Dorine Gustave made the announcement to the nation following reports of heightened activity at the volcano.
According to reports, the lava dome of the volcano continued to slowly grow during March 17-23, expanding significantly.
The new dome continues to grow towards the Leeward and Windward sides of the volcano with the most active gas emissions being at the top of the new dome, as well as the contact areas between the pre-existing 1979 and 2020/21 domes.
Although no evacuation order has been issued in the neighbouring island, Saint Lucia remains on high alert.
According to NEMO and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), an eruption is imminent.
On Saturday, an emergency meeting was called comprising of a team that was put together in January in addition to other stakeholders, including the police and coast guard, Ministry of Health, and other community groups to discuss the way forward.
Ashfall, air quality issues, and tsunamis are among several risks present by the imminent eruption to neighbouring islands.
“We are looking at areas from Dennery as far as Soufriere and the reason for looking at these areas is that we’re not sure, in terms of wind direction, etc what is going to happen and how these communities will be affected so we don’t want to leave out any communities, and then these communities may be impacted,” Deputy NEMO Director, Maria Menard said.
Deputy NEMO Director, Maria Menard.
While she notes the possibility of tsunamis, the occurrence is extremely rare.
“We are not saying that it is not going to happen but we still want the public, the communities to understand that there may be a possibility and that they should also be prepared in terms of the ashfall.
We’re not sure of the intensity of the eruption and seeing that the north of St Vincent is very close to us, there is a high possibility that we will be impacted with ashfall, and that may also affect air quality, in the south,” Menard said.
Emergency shelters have been identified for evacuees of both Saint Lucia and St Vincent, some of which include Blanchard Primary, Piaye Secondary and Stanley Jon Odlum Secondary.
COVID-19 protocols are also been taken into consideration.
The alert level remains at Orange, the second-highest level on a four-color scale.
