After days of inactivity, St Vincent downgrades La Soufrière alert to ‘orange’
Gavin Riley / Our Today
administrator
The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday (May 6) lowered the volcanic alert level at La Soufrière from ‘red’ to ‘orange’ on recommendation from the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC).
The SRC, in a statement, said that volcano-seismologist and current scientific team lead, Roderick Stewart, made the recommendation to the Vincentian Cabinet on Tuesday, May 4, during his update on the current activity at La Soufrière.
“Stewart indicated that the recommendation was being made given that there have been no explosions at the volcano since April 22 and the number of volcanic earthquakes recorded has also decreased significantly,” the SRC noted.
There is no room for complacency, the SRC warned, as at alert level orange, La Soufrière may resume explosions with less than 24-hours notice.
Lahars (mudflows) continue to pose a dangerous threat to the river valleys surrounding the volcano including Wallibou and Rabacca.
The SRC further explained that mudflows observed over the past several days contained boulders up to five metres (15 feet) in diameter. Scientists also witnessed steaming flows, which are likely due to contact with and incorporation of hot volcanic deposits.
Lahars, with a wet-concrete consistency, can cause damage to property and serious injury to persons in their path.
As hazardous condition persist, the SRC has recommended that access to the red disaster zone be limited to government-approved essential work only.
The National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) and The UWI-SRC continue to be the authoritative sources of information on the eruption of La Soufrière volcano in Saint Vincent.
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