In the past week, the Caribbean and the rest of the world have been taken with the news of the La Soufrière eruption which is currently taking place in the island of St.Vincent. As of December 2020, volcanic activity began showing when a mass of lava was seen oozing at the top of the volcano. La Soufrière has been in a state of dormancy since 1979, which was when it last erupted. At the end of March 2021 however, frequent seismic activity became notable at the site. On April the 5th 2021, the National Emergency Management Orgnaization (NEMO) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines issued warnings advising the public of “new swarms” of volcanic tectonic earthquakes which have been occurring at the La Soufrière Volcano in a fairly constant rate. Later on in the week on Thursday the 8th April, as volcanic activity had significantly increased, persons residing in the north of the island, where La Soufrière is also locate, were asked to immediately evacuate their homes. The following day, the first explosive eruption occurred. An ash plume of 6 miles high was seen after this explosion. The second blast from La Soufrière was seen just a few hours after the first, this one a little smaller than the first with an ash plume of 2.5 miles into the atmosphere.
Eruptions have been occurring on a constant basis since. Right now, following the eruptions which have taken place, ash fall has heavenly covered the northern part of the island. For those suffering with pre-existing respiratory illnesses, this can worsen their conditions as it causes difficulty in breathing. The images coming out of St. Vincent have shown that it has been creating a dark layer in the atmosphere making it impassable for aircraft to pass through. Ash fall has also been seen in some parts of Barbados.
More than 16,000 persons have since left their homes and are taking refuge in other parts of the island or in the smaller islands of the Grenadines. Other islands of the Caribbean region are also offering refuge for those affected persons in St. Vincent. The nature of the event has put the islanders in a state of panic and when the evacuation was ordered by the Prime Minister on Thursday, those located in the red zone hurried to escape the area. This resulted in vehicular congestion on the one road connecting the northern part of the island to the southern part. Other evacuees, took to other resorts to leave the area, that is by fishing boats. Furthermore, cruise ships have also offered their services and aid in the evacuation process. However, as this eruption is occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, persons seeking this route of evacuation must show evidence of vaccination before they board the vessels. While the vaccination drive has started in the island not everyone has had the chance to be vaccinated. There is no certainty, that everyone located in the red zones have cleared the area, leaving them at a huge risk. Furthermore, whilst there have not been any news indication of this occurring, previous eruptions have shown some persons refuse to their homes and therefore are in harm’s way.
The hazards of La Soufrière
Previous eruptions from La Soufrière has shown the hazards which have occurred from eruptions to include pyroclastic flows and surges, mudflows, ashfall and projectiles. The more serious events to have occurred included lava flows, atmospheric phenomena, and earthquakes.
Pyroclastic flows contain a high-density of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash and volcanic gas.They move at very high speeds down the slope of volcanoes Most pyroclastic flows are composed of two parts: a lower (basal) flow of coarse fragments moving through the ground and a turbulent layer of ash rising above the basal flow. This cloud's ash can fall over a large area downwind of the pyroclastic flow.
There are different types of pyroclastic flows:
· The column of ash expelled into the atmosphere after a highly explosive explosion cools and can become too cool and thick to sustain upward momentum.
· "Boiling over" from an eruptive vent: During an explosive eruption, debris is ejected without creating a high plume and quickly travels downhill.
· Lava domes or flows can collapse due to gravitational force if the fronts of the flows or domes become too steep. Pyroclastic flows annihilate almost everything in their way. The University of the West Indies Seismic Reach Centre’s lead scientist have already confirmed that areas surrounding the volcano have seen pyroclastic flows.
Secondary hazards may also occur as a result of pyroclastic flows. Hazards including flooding and lahars are extremely prevalent from a pyroclastic flow.
In the La Soufrière eruption, we are seeing copious amounts of ashfall, and according to the USGS, ashfall happens to be the most widespread and frequent volcanic hazard. Volcanic eruptions generate a compound known as tephra, which are fragments of rock which are ejected into the air when an explosion occurs. When ashfall is released into the atmosphere, winds are responsible for distributing it throughout the sky, thereby making it hazardous for aircraft to pass in those areas. Furthermore, ashfall can also affect infrastructure and poses severe threats to transportation, water and wastewater, power supply, communications equipment and agriculture. The impact of ashfall on infrastructure however are dependent on the eruption source, dispersion of the eruption cloud, the amount of ashfall received, the characteristics of the ash and climate. Currently, in St. Vincent, there has been an ash advisory warning issued by the Washington DC Volcanic Ash Advisory Center.
As eruptions continue to occur, scientists aren’t sure when this may stop. Some have stated that things may get bad before getting worst, and St Vincentians are preparing with for the worst.
Caribbean countries have banned together to help our brothers and sisters in their time of need. There have been donation drives for food items, clothes and toiletries. If you are in Trinidad and Tobago and you are willing to donate any of these items, here is a list of places you can contact:
1. Feminitt Caribbean, aimed at collecting female personal hygiene products.
Contact: 735-9828/337-8303.
2. Is There Not a Cause, collecting toiletries, baby supplies, non-perishable food items, masks, gloves.
Contact: 745-7362
3. Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM).
We encourage o reading community to donate any of these items if they can. Let us all come together to help St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
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