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St. Vincent Rocked By Exploding Volcano

St. Vincent, St. Vincent and the Grenadines —(Map)

A volcano erupting on the island of Saint Vincent in the Caribbean has forced many people to leave their homes. The island is now covered with ash. Another eruption yesterday took out power for much of the island.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. About 95,000 people live there. The volcano which erupted is called La Soufrière. It’s on the country’s main island, St. Vincent.

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A volcano erupting on the island of Saint Vincent (above) in the Caribbean has forced many people to leave their homes. Much of the island is now covered with ash. Another eruption yesterday took out power for much of the island.

La Soufrière is an active volcano, but the last time it erupted was in 1979. In December, it began to show signs of greater activity.

On Thursday night, experts warned that it could erupt soon. Nearly 20,000 people were evacuated from the danger zone, which includes the whole northern third of the island.

Map of the island of St. Vincent, showing the various danger zones. The northern half of the island is red or orange.
On Thursday night, experts warned that the volcano could erupt soon. Nearly 20,000 people were evacuated from the danger zone. In the map above, the red and orange mark the most dangerous areas.
(Source: NEMO SVG.)

On Friday morning, the volcano exploded, blowing apart the whole top of the volcano, and sending smoke and ash 5 miles (8 kilometers) into the air.

One person from the area described it as “a very, very loud bang.” Within minutes, stones began falling on roofs and massive clouds of volcanic ash began to darken the sky. About six hours after the first explosion, the volcano erupted a second time.

On Friday morning, the volcano exploded, blowing apart the whole top of the volcano, and sending smoke and ash 5 miles (8 kilometers) into the air. Someone on St. Vincent posted this picture on Twitter.

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Four large cruise ships were sent to collect people who were evacuating. Several nearby island nations agreed to take in people who had been forced to run from the volcano.

The coronavirus  has made the evacuations much more complicated. Only people who had been vaccinated against Covid-19 were allowed on the cruise ships. The same rule applied in the nearby countries.

Flights were canceled because of the smoke and ash in the sky. The ash has spread through the area, coating everything – roofs, roads, cars, and trees. In some places, the ash is reported to be up to a foot (30 centimeters) deep.

The ash has spread through the area, coating everything – roofs, roads, cars, and trees. In some places, the ash is reported to be up to a foot (30 centimeters) deep. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency posted these pictures on Twitter.

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People are being encouraged to stay inside to avoid breathing the ash-filled air. For healthy people, the ash may not be a big problem. But the air also carries a dangerous gas called sulfur. This could cause serious problems for people who already have breathing difficulties.

Because the explosion was so strong, the ash has spread over a wide area. Even in Barbados, 109 miles (175 kilometers) away, people are being told to stay indoors because of the ash.

On Sunday, the volcano erupted once more. This time, it took out the electricity for most of the island. The water supply was also shut down in many places.

Satellite image of the La Soufrière volcano during the 2020-2021 eruptions, showing volcanic ash spreading to the islands of Saint Vincent, Barbados, and over the Atlantic ocean.
Because the explosion was so strong, the ash has spread over a wide area, including Barbados, 109 miles (175 kilometers) away. Above, a satellite image showing volcanic ash spreading to Barbados, and over the Atlantic ocean.
(Source: Terra/MODIS/OpenStreetMap [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

The danger from the volcano continues, since it’s not known if or when it might explode again. Experts say new eruptions could happen days, or even weeks from now.

So far, there are no reports of injuries or deaths, but Saint Vincent will be dealing with the effects of the disaster for a long time. The government expects that many of the people who have been evacuated may need to stay away for months.

Still, the government has an upbeat attitude. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says that when the volcano quiets down, Saint Vincent will build back better and stronger than before.


Did You Know…?
When La Soufrière erupted in 1979, no one was killed. But in 1902, La Soufrière had a deadly eruption, and 1,680 people were killed.

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