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ROSE HALL, St Vincent and the Grenadines (Reuters) -La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent erupted on Friday after decades of inactivity, sending dark plumes of ash and smoke billowing into the sky and forcing thousands from surrounding villages to evacuate.
Dormant since 1979, the volcano started showing signs of activity in December, spewing steam and smoke and rumbling away. That picked up this week, prompting Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves to order an evacuation of the surrounding area late on Thursday.
Early on Friday it finally erupted. Ash and smoke plunged the neighboring area into near total darkness, blotting out the bright morning sun, said a Reuters witness, who reported hearing the explosion from Rose Hall, a nearby village.
How your brand can level up when disaster strikes! Social Share
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the importance of acting swiftly when a crisis strikes. In SVG, we’re also concerned about the La Soufriere volcano; what IF it becomes explosive? Does your brand have an emergency communications plan? How will you connect with your customers, employees and even the community during crisis periods, including weather related disasters or a disaster within close proximity of your business? When natural disasters strike, they not only engage news but also brands, organizations and the people around.
Here’s how you can level up your communications:
Persons in south of St Vincent are safe and likely only to experience ash falls
Professor Richard Robertson Social Share
Residents of the southern half of St Vincent and those who have evacuated out of the danger zones are safe and expected to mainly be affected by ash falls from the erupting La Soufriere. However, those who remain close to the volcano are endangering their lives.
Lead scientist monitoring the volcano, Professor Richard Robertson of the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) gave this assurance today, while addressing a press conference, shortly after explosive eruptions began at La Soufriere.
Explosive eruption rocks La Soufriere volcano on Caribbean s St. Vincent
The explosive eruption on the eastern Caribbean island followed mandatory evacuation orders issued Thursday for thousands who live near the volcano.
Credit: AP
Ash rises into the air as La Soufriere volcano erupts on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, seen from Chateaubelair, Friday, April 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Orvil Samuel) Author: DÁNICA COTO (Associated Press) Published: 9:18 PM CDT April 8, 2021 Updated: 2:26 PM CDT April 9, 2021
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico An explosive eruption rocked La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Friday after the government ordered thousands to evacuate their homes nearby.
Govt may be unable to pay salaries, pensions
PRIME MINISTER Dr Ralph Gonsalves Social Share THIS COUNTRY’S government may be unable to pay salaries and wages in the coming months, if the harsh economic situation continues locally.
This was the stark position pronounced by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who was commenting on the state’s finances during his weekly appearance on NBC’s Face to Face radio programme on Wednesday morning.
“And I say this to persons, and I say with all honesty, the way things are going, they may well be one or two months sometime, if things continue with the straitened economic circumstances, that the government may not have the $30 million every month to pay civil servants and the NIS contributions, to pay civil servants, those who are pensionable, to pay the NIS for those who are current, and to pay salaries and wages,” he said.