ST JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda — Massive power
outages struck the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent before dawn on Sunday, as
officials recorded more explosive activity at a long-dormant volcano that
launched into a series of eruptions.
اضافة اعلان
After remaining quiet for nearly 42 years, La Soufriere
rumbled back into life on Friday, blanketing the island in ash and permeating
the air with the stench of sulfur. Ash buildup on some power lines was
contributing to extensive electric outages.
“The landscape of beautiful stvincent is shrouded in ash
from overnight explosions and ashventing from lasoufriere volcano,” tweeted
geologist Richard Robertson, who posted photos of grim-looking gray landscapes.
He described new lava flows as “a moving mass of destruction”.
The eruptions prompted thousands to flee for safety, with
around 16,000 people living in areas under evacuation orders.
The country’s National Emergency Management Organization
(NEMO) noted “another explosive event” early Sunday morning with the “majority
of the country out of power and covered in ash”.
“Day No. 3 and everything looks like a battle zone,” the
NEMO account tweeted.
The volcano’s explosive phase is expected to last several
days or even weeks, according to the Seismic Research Centre at the University
of the West Indies (UWI), which advised residents to avoid inhaling the
volcanic ash.
The whitish powder caked roads, homes and buildings in
Saint Vincent after the powerful blasts began Friday and continued into the
night.
“Saturday morning on the island of over 110,000 residents
looked like a winter wonderland, albeit blanketed by ash,” the news portal
news784.com said.
Visibility in some areas was extremely limited. While the
volcano lies on the island’s northern end, in the capital Kingstown on the
south end the ash caused a thin haze of dust, the portal said.
The thick clouds of dust expelled by La Soufriere have
affected neighboring islands as well, traveling over 175 kilometers east to
Barbados.
“Barbadians have been urged to stay indoors as thick
plumes of volcanic ash move through the atmosphere,” the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Management Agency said.
The initial blast from La Soufriere, the highest peak in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sent plumes of hot ash and smoke 6,000 meters
into the air on Friday morning.
Smaller eruptions took place Friday afternoon and
Saturday, belching out further columns of ash, according to the UWI
researchers.
Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said Saturday
that water has been cut off in most areas and the country’s air space is closed
because of the ash. Around 3,000 people spent the night in shelters.
“It’s a huge operation that is facing us,” Gonsalves told
NBC News.
He said his government has been in contact with other
countries that want to provide aid and that Guyana and Venezuela are sending
ships with supplies.
Evacuation orders
The 1,234-meter La Soufriere — French for “sulfur mine” —
had not erupted since 1979, and its largest blow-up happened over a century ago
in 1902, killing more than 1,000 people.
It had been rumbling for months before it finally blew.
“We are trying to be ok. It’s deathly quiet outside and
the mood is pensive,” said Vynette Frederick, 44, a lawyer in Kingstown.
Northwest of Kingstown on the 29km-long island, Zen
Punnett said things had calmed down after the initial panic as evacuation
orders came out Thursday night.
“It’s gotten hazier. We are staying inside,” she said.
The emergency management agency posted photos of a coast
guard ship evacuating residents of an area who had previously refused to leave.
Standing on a dock, the air above the evacuees was a chalky gray.
Most of the people in the red zone had been moved to
safety by Friday, authorities said.
Cruise ships were on the way to assist the evacuation
effort.
The Saint Vincent and Grenadines police on Saturday
issued an appeal for troublemakers to stop making prank calls to emergency
responders.
“We are in the middle of a serious evacuation and
security exercise, to safeguard and rescue persons who are affected by the
eruption,” the agency said.
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