St Vincent and the Grenadines to strengthen monitoring of La Soufrière volcano

The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has announced plans to strengthen surveillance and monitoring of the La Soufrière volcano through new staff appointments, the installation of eight additional mountain monitoring stations, and upgrades to existing monitoring sites.

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Disaster Management Minister St Clair Leacock made the announcement during the handover ceremony of the renovated and retrofitted Volcano Observatory. He said the Government will fill the posts of geoscientist and seismic technician this year, adding that the upgraded observatory will support advanced research, including volcanic monitoring, community-based early warning systems and international university-led studies.

La Soufrière last erupted explosively in April 2021, following increased volcanic activity that began in December 2020. The eruption resulted in widespread ashfall, the evacuation of more than 20,000 people, and significant disruption across the country. The event transitioned from an effusive phase to a series of explosive eruptions, with the last major explosive activity recorded around April 22, 2021, after approximately four months of heightened activity.

Leacock said the refurbished observatory reflects both continuity and progress in the country’s disaster preparedness efforts. He praised the work of the previous administration in advancing volcano monitoring and preparedness and cautioned the public against tampering with monitoring equipment.

“There’s a lot of engineering, a lot of technical work here and a lot of sophistication,” Leacock said. “I say this not just to applaud those who have done all of that great work, but also by way of appealing to those of us who are around, who some may say have mischievous hands, not to trouble those things that we did not put down and remove important equipment that lends to the safety of us Vincentians.”

He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ensuring continued support for the La Soufrière Monitoring Unit of the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).

“My Government will continue to ensure that the La Soufriere Monitoring Unit of NEMO continues to receive the support to ensure that La Soufriere volcano is constantly monitored and that it behaves itself,” Leacock said, again urging the public not to damage or remove monitoring equipment.

The observatory project was completed at a cost of EC$4.6 million through a concessional loan from the World Bank. In addition, NEMO received a EC$1 million grant to acquire seismic stations and monitoring equipment aimed at further strengthening volcanic surveillance across the island.