Gov’t moves to speed up Vincentian relief

A section of Sandy bay, St. Vincent, situated in the red zone, which like other areas has been blanketed by ash following the ash fall eruption of La Soufrière volcano on Friday. (Photo taken from Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) Facebook page)

As continuing explosions and ash fall following the eruption of St Vincent’s La Soufrière volcano ratcheted up emergency responses, the Guyana government on Saturday signalled that it was working towards dispatching relief supplies within 48 hours.

The University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre reported last night that the volcano has entered an explosive eruptive phase that may continue over the next few days and weeks. It had earlier reported that explosions continued throughout the day up to 7pm last evening, accompanied by ash venting, some of which has been dispersed to neighbouring islands, particularly Barbados.

The Centre’s Director, Erouscilla Joseph, also warned that more seismic unrest was expected overnight, with accompanying ash venting episodes, which was in line with predictions that the eruption is likely to be “much bigger” than the previous one in 1979.