Volcano smoking: Alert level remains at Orange, no evacuation

By Demion McTair. Updated 10:31 a.m., Thursday, March 8, 2021, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Kingstown, St. Vincent: The alert level remains at Orange in relation to activities at the La Soufriere Volcano.

Videos emerged on Thursday of the volcano spewing gases high in the air, causing alarm to residents living close to it.

But, in a statement, the National Emergency Management Organization – NEMO said “the alert level remains at Orange,” and that “no evacuation order or notice has been issued”.

Residents especially persons living in communities close to the volcano are encouraged to be prepared in the event that it becomes necessary to evacuate at short notice, NEMO said.

The La Soufriere volcano began erupting effusively about December* 29, 2020.

Since then, a new dome emerged and continues to grow and encircle the 1979 dome.

Since March 2021, swarms of seismic activities and Volcano-Tectonic (VT) earthquakes have been recorded by the volcano monitoring system and some earthquakes have been felt frequently by people living in communities on the flanks of the volcano.