La Soufrière Volcano eruption in Saint Vincent And The Grenadines

A volcano in the southern Caribbean that had been dormant for decades erupted in a billowing blast of gray smoke on Friday, spewing clouds of ash for miles and forcing thousands to evacuate.

The volcano, known as La Soufrière, on the northern tip of the main island of St. Vincent, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, had started showing signs of renewed activity in late December.

Emergency officials described the landscape as a "battle zone" and said more damage and destruction was likely.

Nemo is urging people to "be careful on the roads, which have become treacherous as a result of the ash flow". Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said water supplies to most of the island had been cut off and its airspace closed because of the smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash moving through the atmosphere.

Related News and Resources

• EUMETSAT case study on the La Soufrière volcanic eruption using Metop, Sentinel-3 and GOES satellite data.
• UNOSAT web map of La Soufrière volcano