Heavy rains worsen the effects of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ La Soufrière volcano · Global Voices
Lava flow from La Soufrière. Photo by <PERSON> on Flickr; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
As if the ongoing volcanic eruptions and widespread ashfall from La Soufrière weren't enough, the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are now contending with flooding and dangerous landslides as a result of a particularly heavy bout of rainfall on April 29.
As the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season inches closer, the erosion caused by lahars—destructive volcanic mudflows—could be made worse. The loose sediment and volcanic debris the lahars carry, which can travel very quickly towards flood plains, have the potential to damage houses, cover wide areas of low-lying agricultural land, and clog rivers and streams, causing large-scale flooding:
Extensive erosion on the coastline at wet Wallibou, St. Vincent due to lahars on 29.04.21
Footage: <PERSON>, UWI-SRC@VincieRichie #lasoufriere #LaSoufriere #svg #uwi #stilldangerous #lasoufriereeruption2021 #TeamSRC #redalert #volcano #uwiseismic pic.twitter.com/5tuV0sd63W
— UWISeismic Research (@uwiseismic) April 29, 2021
Landslides and flooding have affected areas near the south of the island, including the capital, Kingstown. On Facebook, <PERSON>, who lives fairly close to the volcano, noted:
Floods will be particularly bad where roads were not cleared as […] heavy volcanic sand blocks the drains.
He further observed:
[W]hile the lahars may be limited to the red zone, the flooding will be all over the country and may [in] fact impact the south far more that the north. 709
The heavily populated areas are at risk of roads becoming muddy rivers.
Many of the video clips shared by citizen journalists showed the distressing results:
Flooding in Kingstown.
(Not my vid) pic.twitter.com/Qw4G20ytO7
— <PERSON> ?? (@Lavern_King) April 29, 2021
The country's National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) issued a press statement on April 27, noting that dangerous lahar flows had been reported in the red and orange zones, and that residents’ access to these areas would be restricted, especially since rainfall was expected to continue for the rest of the week.
Many people who live in these zones have said they feel “traumatised” at not being able to return to their homes.
Both the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre and volcanologist Dr. <PERSON>, however, emphasised the danger:
pic.twitter.com/F67qvETG7X
— UWISeismic Research (@uwiseismic) April 29, 2021
Things change.
Especially when working on #LaSoufriere
We were working with @uwiseismic in the Wallibou on Monday (left), then again today (right). Never underestimate the power of a lahar #stilldangerous pic.twitter.com/ZzfiEz929L
— ProfJenniBarclay (@VolcanoJenni) April 30, 2021
Many videos posted on social media illustrated the level of damage:
With rain there comes additional hazards. Reports are this morning that there have been sounds coming from #LaSoufriere. Whether there was an explosive eruption or just venting, time alone will tell. pic.twitter.com/6CGKAn04oA
— <PERSON> ?? (@heidibadenock) April 29, 2021
Have mercy Lord. pic.twitter.com/xA592IEgh9
— <PERSON> ?? (@heidibadenock) April 29, 2021
#LaSoufriere #LaSoufriereEruption #svg #uwi ?? https://t.co/ON5Xpt35pB
— just be nice (@NaomiNaay) April 30, 2021
The constant battering the country has had to face over the last few weeks caused some netizens to wonder how much more they could bear:
Boy we in #Vincy getting licks with #fire #ash now #water. #Rain in we tail. 709