La Soufriere volcano has been damaging St. Vincent, and there are no signs that the eruptions will stop. On Monday, the volcano fired ash and hot gas onto the island. Volcanic activity began in St. Vincent last week, and Monday’s explosion was the worst rupture since it started.
St. Vincent is an island in the eastern part of the Caribbean. There have been many people on the island who refused to evacuate when the volcanic activity began last week. Following Monday’s explosion, any person who does not leave the island could be creating their own death wish.
The Damage from the Volcano Ash
The ash is flowing down the southern portion of the volcano, and it’s destroying everything in its path. Erouscilla Joseph, the University of the West Indes director, said, “It’s destroying everything in its path. Anybody who would not have heeded the evacuation needs to get out immediately.”
There have not been any deaths, but casualties are expected if people do not leave the island. Joseph has been one of the prominent figures saying how critical it is for people to leave the island.
Monday’s volcano eruption took the island by storm because cleanups and evacuations were still occurring from Friday’s explosion. The government mandated 16,000 people to leave the island, but officials are not ripping people out of their homes and forcing them to leave.
There is still an unknown amount of people who have not cooperated with the government. Everything in the path of the ash has been destroyed, so these people could be next if they do not leave very soon.
History of Explosions on St. Vincent
The 2021 explosion was the worst one since 1902 where 1,600 people were killed. The most recent eruption occurred in 1979, but it was not to the current problem’s magnitude. The ash has been so explosive that it has landed on neighboring islands like Barbados.
It’s believed that there are 24 to 36 people in Sandy Bay, St. Vincent. These pockets of people are still all over St. Vincent. The island’s Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, has begged people to leave, but this request has not been entirely accepted.
Potential Arrests
Since Gonsalves’ statement begging people to leave did not work, the government has threatened to arrest anyone in a dangerous area of St. Vincent. Everyone has been advised to leave the island, but it has been mandated for citizens in the red zone. The red zone is the parts of the country where the ash is life-threatening.
Everyone is recommended to leave because food and water supplies are dwindling. Imports are nonexistent at this time, and many grocery stores have been forced to shut down. Additionally, the ash is seeping into the country’s water supply, which is making it undrinkable.
The northeast region of the island has been hit hardest by the volcanic eruption. The food supply is minimal because the ash has burned crops. Neighboring islands have been dropping off lifesaving supplies, but it’s very tough to get to the island with the volcanic flow.
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