#AceNewsReport – Apr.11: The tiny eastern Caribbean island of Saint Vincent has been blanketed with a thin layer of ash and a βstrong sulphurβ smell hung in the air on Saturday, a day after a volcano spectacularly erupted after decades of inactivity.
Ace Weather Desk says …..Ash coats Caribbean island of Saint Vincent after eruption of La Soufriere volcano according to BBC Latin Asia News βThe eruption of La Soufriere on Friday pumped dark clouds of ash some 10 kilometres into the air, prompting an evacuation of some nearby residentsβ
Nearly 20,000 people have been forced out of their homes on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent after a volcano erupted there for the first time in more than 40 years.
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) April 9, 2021
Cruise ships are now evacuating people from the island — but only those vaccinated against COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/oPBCDHhSpa
Posted 8h ago
Rumbling noises continued to emanate from the volcano, with ash coating rooftops, cars and roads in Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Videos from Saint Vincent showed a ghost-like landscape.
A Reuters witness in the town of Rabaka, about three kilometres from the volcano, said the ground was covered with about 30 centimetres of ash and rock fragments from the blast. Ash clouds blotted out the sun, giving the sky a bleak twilight look.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said it was unclear how much more ash the volcano would vent, adding that more than 3,200 people were now in shelters.Loading
βAll Iβm asking of everybody is to be calm,β Mr Gonsalves told reporters on a visit to a shelter.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where just over 100,000 people live, has not experienced volcanic activity since 1979, when an eruption caused millions in damages. La Soufriereβs eruption in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Saint Vincentβs National Emergency Management Organisation said βsteaming/smokingβ from the volcano had increased, warning those that live close to the site to be prepared to βevacuate at short notice.βLoading
Earlier, the agency said on its Facebook page that βstrong sulphur scents pervade the airβ and urged residents to be careful.
Authorities say they are awaiting scientific findings before announcing what further steps to take.
St Vincent volcano: Power cuts after another ‘explosive event’
1 hour agoAsh fell like snow on Saint Vincent following the eruptions
There has been another “explosive event” at a volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, with power outages and water supplies cut off.
https://twitter.com/random_uncle_uk/status/1381196628305010690?s=21
The La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday, blanketing the island in a layer of ash and forcing some 16,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Residents in Barbados, nearly 200km (about 124 miles) to the east, have also been urged to stay indoors.
Scientists warn that eruptions could continue for days – or even weeks.
On Sunday, St Vincent’s emergency management organisation Nemo tweeted: “Massive power outage following another explosive event at La Soufriere Volcano. Lightning, thunder and rumblings. Majority of the country out of power and covered in ash.”
ReutersThe volcano had been dormant since 1979
White-coloured dust has covered buildings and roads around the island, including in its capital Kingstown.
How are residents coping?
Nemo is urging people to “be careful on the roads, which have become treacherous as a result of the ash flow”.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said water supplies to most of the island had been cut off and its airspace closed because of the smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash moving through the atmosphere.
Mr Gonsalves said thousands of residents had been sleeping in emergency shelters since Friday. “It’s a huge operation that is facing us,” he told NBC News.
He said earlier that a lot of volcanic ash had fallen over the sea. “We don’t know how much more is going to come out… so far, we have done well in that nobody got injured, nobody is dead.”
The Barbados Defence Force has been deployed to St Vincent to provide humanitarian assistance as part of a disaster response mission, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency said.
Homes across the island, which has a population of around 110,000, have been covered in white-coloured volcanic dust and rock fragments.
It prompted warnings from officials to stay indoors, while emergency groups advised caution for those suffering with respiratory problems.
“Be careful all. We are covered in ash and strong sulphur scents pervade the air. We ask that you take the necessary precautions to remain safe and healthy,” Nemo said.
How is the wider region being affected?
On Barbados, Chief Medical Officer Kenneth George advised residents to “stay in your house”. “This is to protect yourselves and your family,” he said.
People on the island of St Lucia, which is around 76 km miles north of St Vincent, also shared images of volcanic ash on their vehicles and homes.
Other Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Guyana, have offered to send emergency supplies to St Vincent. They also said they would open their borders to those fleeing the fallout from the eruption.
When did the new eruptions begin?
The volcano had been dormant since 1979, but in late 2020 it started spewing steam and smoke and making rumbling noises.
The first sign that an eruption was imminent came on Thursday evening, when a lava dome became visible on La Soufrière.
Just before 09:00 on Friday (13:00 GMT), seismologists from the University of the West Indies confirmed that an “explosive eruption” was under way.
Reuters/BBC/ABC/
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